Iqaluit (May10/04) - The Iqaluit Fire Department didn't have the skills or experience to battle a blaze the magnitude of the Joamie school fire, Fire Marshal Gerald Pickett said in his report released last week.

Timeline of fire What happened Friday, July 4, 2003: - 5:06 a.m. Initial fire call received from a taxi driver. He reports smoke coming from under Joamie school, but no flames. - 5:12 a.m. Fire Department dispatch receives a call as the school's fire alarm goes off. - 5:14 a.m. Fire engine #1 arrives on the scene. - 5:27 a.m. Ladder #1 arrives, not meeting first response guidelines. - 10 a.m. -- Flames are shooting high in the sky and it's about this time the gymnasium walls collapse. - Early afternoon -- The entire structure is a charred, smoking ruin. The Fire Marshal report states: While on some occasions the initial fire company response may not meet the four-minute requirement, the eight-minute criterion must always be met. Where the fire started: First response crew, and eye-witness statements, place the initial fire on the uppermost part of the crawlspace walls. This is also where the first flames began to appear. Not arson: During the initial fire scene examination, no evidence was obtained that would suggest an intentionally set fire or one of an exterior origin. The RCMP Special Investigative Team, the contracted Commercial Investigation and Consulting Resources and the Office of the Fire Marshal unanimously agreed that firefighters were dealing with an internal accidental fire and the possibility of arson was ruled out. Getting to the source: In the first four months of investigation, no one could or would confirm the presence of a heat source anywhere in or around the location determined to be the area of origin. Trouble call log checked out: April 4, 2003. A worker assigned to check out a frozen drainpipe complaint noted that the power supply circuit breaker for the heat traced system was tripped. He switched it back on and installed additional insulation. He advised that the drainpipe was plugged with coffee grounds, not frozen as was assumed. This information confirmed the presence of an electrical heat source in the area of origin. Most plausible cause: Based on the fact this was the only heat source in the area, it was determined that the most plausible cause of the fire was due to a damaged, malfunctioning or over-insulated electrical heat trace system. The heat trace was installed in a plywood pipe chase utilidor that had no fire protection or detection system installed. The utilidor was insulated with highly combustible styrofoam and the tradesperson performing the work added additional insulation. -- Information courtesy of the Office of the Fire Marshal.

"Based on interviews and observations of the incident it is evident that limited knowledge, training and experience of standard fire ground operations precluded the establishment of an effective fire ground command," Pickett wrote in the report dated March 2004 but only recently made public.

"The fire, though relatively small in the early stages, overwhelmed the fire suppression activities of the responding firefighting resources and resulted in the loss of the facility."

Built in 1989 and expanded in 1991, Joamie Ilinniarvik elementary school was completely destroyed by fire on July 4, 2003.

The fire marshal's report has revealed that the cause of the blaze was most likely a malfunctioning electrical heat trace system (common in Northern buildings).

Arson was ruled out.

In an interview, Pickett said that, in his opinion, Joamie school could have been saved. "A fire crew is only as good as their leader," Pickett said. "If the leader has limited skills, the crew is only as good as the fire chief, or senior officer."

Fire Chief Cory Chegwyn, on duty during the Joamie blaze, and currently Iqaluit's fire chief, said he has not yet read the fire marshal's report, and would not comment.

"Until I have a chance to go over it with my staff, and with the fire marshal, I won't be commenting publicly," said Chegwyn.

Pickett pointed out that the City of Iqaluit took steps to improve the fire department's skills after the Joamie fire, including sending firefighters for training in Manitoba.

Chegwyn did not confirm whether or not this post-Joamie training had occurred.

The City of Iqaluit's Year End Report said a "milestone" was achieved when 15 members of the Iqaluit fire department completed National Fire Prevention Association (NFPA) training Level 1 in May 2003, two months before the fire.

The report also says three members have completed NFPA level 1 and 2 inspector training; and 11 members, both volunteer and full-time, obtained emergency medical responder certification in 2003. Pickett noted that since the Joamie fire, the city created the position of Safety Codes Building Inspector.

On Friday, city officials were not commenting on the report, about any changes made to policy since the fire, or about any training firefighters may have received since the Joamie fire.

Year End Report

They did, however, make a copy of the Year End Report available, which outlines under "Fire Prevention" the need for an updated emergency plan, and training for all staff and volunteers in the fire department.

Pickett's report makes 13 recommendations, including that all fire departments in Nunavut develop standard operating procedures and pre-incident plans for all major facilities.

Those plans would include training for fighting fire in crawl spaces, fighting fires in sprinkler protected buildings, and identifying the "fire flow" requirements in major risk structures.

Firefighters had problems with water pressure from hydrants in the area in the early stages of the Joamie fire.

Pickett suggests that the water supply booster station is "investigated with a view to developing detailed operating procedures," and that "regular training sessions are conducted with both fire fighters and water department personnel."

Joamie School is being rebuilt at a cost of $10 million, and is set to open in 2005.