Fire Marshal welcomes reinstatement fire department
Stop-work order lifted by Workers' Safety and Compensation Commission
Paul Bickford
Northern News Services
Published Monday, January 12, 2015
DENINU KU'E/FORT RESOLUTION
The NWT Fire Marshal is pleased the Fort Resolution Fire Department is back in operation.
"It's important that service is in place, and it's important to the community, and it's important to the residents," said Chucker Dewar.
"I'm sure they feel a bit safer knowing that that's back up and functioning."
The department had been shut down on Nov. 19 by a stop-work order issued by the Workers' Safety and Compensation Commission (WSCC) because of concerns about equipment, training and operational procedures.
This is believed to be the first order of its kind made against a fire department in the NWT, according to the WSCC.
The stop-work order was completely lifted on Dec. 26 by the WSCC.
"The fire department has met all WSCC requirements," said Kim Walker, manager of communications with the commission.
Dewar said getting the fire department back in operation was a team effort involving the Hamlet of Fort Resolution, the community's volunteer firefighters, the Hay River Fire Department, the Fire Marshal's Office and the Department of Municipal and Community Affairs.
In particular, Dewar recognized Hay River Fire Chief Ross Potter and other members of his fire department for training 11 firefighters from Fort Resolution prior to Christmas.
"I look at it as a huge success," Dewar said of the joint effort to get the Fort Resolution Fire Department back in business.
"Now, it's important that everybody maintain things. We'll continue to work with the community on the components."
Dewar said the process of getting the department back in operation involved a number of things, including a hamlet bylaw, equipment, training and procedures.
The Fire Marshal said his understanding is the Fort Resolution Fire Department was a defensive department prior to the stop-work order, but was working towards getting the ability to fight fires inside structures.
"So, they wouldn't be conducting internal firefighting operations in a hostile environment," he said.
"They would be on the exterior protecting that fire from spreading to neighbouring properties."
It is to this status that the department has now returned.
Dewar said working with self-contained breathing apparatuses is necessary to fight fires from the interior of buildings is very technical.
"Those units have been just put aside for right now and let's get this (existing) level of service down pat and sustainable," he said.
"And once that level of service is sustainable, then the community can recognize that and work towards the next level."
The next level would require more procedures, training, equipment, maintenance and funding.
Speaking on Jan. 2, Fort Resolution Deputy Mayor Patrick Simon said the hamlet is looking at increasing its firefighting capabilities, such as using breathing apparatus.
"We're going to talk about it some more and then we're going to see where the next level is and begin to train towards it," he said.
Simon said the level of service will be based on the number of people in the community and the amount of expertise available there.
