Yellowknife (Feb 17/06) - According to the city's 2006 budget, protective gear worn by Yellowknife firefighters is in a "state of poor repair" or does not meet standards set out by the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA).

City Hall's own assessment of equipment for its firefighters contradicts statements made by their fire chief Mick Beauchamp in a letter sent to Craig Halifax, president of the International Association of Fire Fighters local 2890.

In response to concerns raised by Halifax about firefighter's protective clothing and breathing apparatuses, Beauchamp wrote on Feb. 3 that helmets, hoods, boots and gloves meet NFPA standards. Those have been adopted into NWT regulations.

But a line item in the city's 2006 capital project fund, which would had been compiled between the summer of 2005 and the fall, reads: "A review of protective gear indicates that at least 20 firefighters have gear that is in a state of poor repair or does not meet NFPA's standard for protective gear."

According to City Hall's website, there are 18 full-time firefighters at the department, plus two deputy chiefs and one fire chief. There are also 20 part-time, paid-on-call firefighters.

City Hall has set aside $30,000 to replace 20 sets of gear, plus $40,000 to upgrade 10 breathing apparatus units to meet NFPA standards set in 2002.

Halifax said the new gear would cover just about all the full-time firefighters, but wasn't certain if it would be used by on-call staff.

The union is still discussing the issue with management, Halifax said. Both sides were in contract negotiations this week to come up with a new collective agreement, which expired in December.

Protective gear at the fire hall is repaired "as needed as it tends to happen usually," Halifax said. The fire protection association often allows concessions - "within reason," Halifax said - when protective gear falls out of date with current standards. NFPA updates its standards about every five years. "It would be fiscally impossible for any city anywhere in the world pretty much to maintain that because every few years you'd have to be re-doing your department," said Halifax.

Fire protection gear in the NWT only has to meet the NFPA standard existing at the time of purchase, said the NWT fire marshal, Bernie Van Tighem. "If a new standard comes into place a month later, you don't have to re-fit your old gear," said Van Tighem.

"But if you do buy new gear it has to meet the new standard."

Regardless, when asked by Yellowknifer if there is an "extreme safety issue" right now as indicated in his letter to Beauchamp, Halifax said:

"You have our letter, we feel our concerns are there, and they have to be addressed."

Mayor Gord Van Tighem, who is the fire marshal's brother, said City Hall is working to ensure it has proper equipment for its firefighters. "What's happening is that it's being upgraded as to the standards that were changed," said Van Tighem. "It's been a moving forward process."

The mayor is optimistic that contract negotiations with the fire department will be resolved.

Firefighters have had a "pretty rough year," the mayor said, referring to the deaths of firefighters Cyril Fyfe and Kevin Olsen, in a fire last year.

Firefighters and the city are waiting for the Workers' Compensation Board to release its report on the men's deaths, which has taken so far almost a year to complete. "Until (the WCB report) gets out and about, the air hasn't cleared," said mayor Van Tighem. "There's still concern."

Beauchamp couldn't be reached for comment.