Fort Res fire department warned of huge fines, jail if caught fighting fires
Hamlet hopes stop-work order will be lifted before Christmas after receiving training, ordering new equipment
Paul Bickford
Northern News Services
Published Monday, December 15, 2014
DENINU K'UE/FORT RESOLUTION
Fort Resolution's deputy fire chief said he was warned he could face huge fines and jail time after telling News/North that firefighters wouldn't just sit and watch a house burn down following the closure of the community's fire department last month due to safety violations.
Ross Potter: Hay River fire chief was to offer training to Fort Resolution fire fighters this past weekend. |
The stop-work order – believed to be the first ever for an NWT fire department – was issued by the Workers' Safety and Compensation Commission on Nov. 19 because of concerns about equipment, training and operational procedures.
Balsillie, who is also chief of Deninu K'ue First Nation, said he was warned by officials with the Department of Municipal and Community Affairs (MACA) about his comments in the Dec. 1 edition of News/North saying he and other members of the department would still fight a fire despite the safety commission's stop-work order.
That action could mean serious consequences – a fine, a jail term or both under the NWT Safety Act.
"It sort of scares me away," said Balsillie. "I mean a $500,000 fine or a year in jail, it's a little bit too much for me to handle. I've never been in jail for anything. So to be incarcerated for something I think is helpful for the community is a little bit crazy to me, but those are the rules."
Sixteen-year-old Rhoni Beaulieu was killed in a Fort Resolution house fire Aug. 15. The fire is believed to have been caused by a propane barbecue burning out of control on the home's porch.
Balsillie said he told other members of the fire department about the consequences, and they're going to hold off, too.
Hamlet responsibility
Deputy mayor Patrick Simon said he was also told by MACA, the safety commission and the Fire Marshal's Office that the hamlet can't respond to a fire or even say it would.
Simon said he assumes the hamlet would be held responsible if firefighters respond given that it owns the fire hall.
So the hamlet is abiding by the stop-work order, he said. "We do represent law and order in this community being a hamlet."
There may be some good news on the horizon, however, as recent training and new equipment on the way means the fire department may be at least partially back in business before Christmas.
"We are working with the fire department and we hope for resolution by Christmas," said Kim Walker, manager of communications with the safety commission.
"We've had some good progress over the last few days," said NWT Fire Marshal Chucker Dewar on Dec. 11.
As for when the department might be back in operation, Dewar said it's completely up to the safety commission to decide whether the hamlet has met the requirements to lift the stop-work order, although he is optimistic the situation can be resolved in the next week or two.
Simon is also optimistic, estimating the department might be operating somewhere between Dec. 19 to 22.
His prediction is based on the fact that 11 firefighters from Fort Resolution were to travel to Hay River for training on Dec. 13 and 14 and again this coming weekend.
Plus, he noted the hamlet has been working with the safety commission, the Department of Municipal and Community Affairs (MACA) and the Fire Marshal's Office on matters such as administration, training, equipment and a hamlet bylaw to cover fire services.
"I think it got a little more clear given that we're working with everybody involved and we're really ensuring that our heart's in it," said Simon.
New bunker gear for the firefighters has been ordered from Alberta and should arrive early this week. By this coming weekend, Simon hopes the department will have at least limited ability for a defensive response to a fire.
The hamlet and MACA held a well-attended open house at the fire hall on Dec. 10 to inform community residents about what was happening with the fire department and to promote fire safety.
This past weekend's training in Hay River was to be conducted by Ross Potter, the chief of the Hay River Fire Department.
"We try to help out where we can," he said. "Firefighting is a brotherhood, so the more we can help everybody else out and bring them up to standards and make them safer is good for everybody."
However, Potter said it is not realistic to think the Hay River Fire Department can respond to a fire in Fort Resolution, which is 150 km to the east.
"It just too far away," he said.
