Yellowknife (Apr 07/06) - City officials will likely ask for a delay when the municipality and two fire hall commanders appear in court Tuesday.

The parties are facing charges in connection with the March 2005 deaths of two firefighters.

The hearing will be the first since the Workers Compensation Board levelled a total of six charges against City Hall, fire Chief Mick Beauchamp and his deputy, Darcy Hernblad.

The charges came one year after firefighters Cyril Fyfe and Kevin Olson were killed battling a blaze on Old Airport Road. Fyfe and Olson were inside a metal storage shed when its roof collapsed on top of them.

With the volume of information -- including reports from the coroner, police, fire marshal and WCB -- Mayor Gord Van Tighem said the city has not decided how it will deal with the charges.

Each carries a maximum of one year in prison and a $500,000 fine.

"(The adjournment request) is based on the importance of that event and the amount of information that people need to digest prior to anything going further," Van Tighem said Wednesday. "This is going to be a long process."

City councillors will hold a public vote to decide how the municipality will plead, Van Tighem said, but no-one is talking publicly about when that decision will be made.

On Wednesday, councillors were tight-lipped about the case, though several said they have discussed the charges in closed-door meetings.

"It's a legal matter. Once it enters the courts, typically everyone wants to stand back from it," said Coun. Dave McCann.

Councillors were scheduled to receive an update on the case Monday morning, but none of the public representatives who spoke to Yellowknifer wanted to discuss which way they were leaning.

"There is a lot to consider," said Coun. Wendy Bisaro. "I tend to sit on the fence for a long time then fall off on one side or another."

The city, Beauchamp and Hernblad will have separate lawyers, though Van Tighem said the municipality "has the right" to cover legal costs for its employees.