Firefighter training on dead patient under investigation
California county considers sirens after high-tech warning systems failed
Sonoma County is exploring the use of warning sirens after official evacuation alerts in the form of phone calls, text messages or loudspeaker announcements failed to reach everyone in the path of last year's firestorm. Click here to read more.
BC Fire Chiefs ask province for more guidance around home grown cannabis
As the date for legalized cannabis growing approaches the Fire Chiefs Association of BC is asking the province for more guidance and legislation around electrical and fire codes and for more power to conduct inspections. Click here to read more.
Chemical in firefighter turnout gear potential cancer agent
Researchers have found potentially carcinogenic compounds that are used as a water repellent in most American firefighters' turnout gear. Click here to read more.
Windsor Fire partners with Meals on Wheels for safety blitz
For the twelfth year Windsor Fire and Rescue Services will partner with Meals on Wheels to help ensure residents with limited mobility have working smoke and carbon monoxide alarms and a home escape plan. Click here to read more.
Toronto Fire targets butt-tossing apartment dwellers
Toronto's fire service has launched a new campaign targetting smokers who throw burning cigarettes off balconies, leading to fires. Slogans include "don't be a flicking idiot" and "kill your butts, not your neighbours". Click here to read more.
Man discovered inside five days after fire in senior centre
Five days after a fire badly damaged the Arthur Capper Senior Center in Washington, DC a 74-year-old man was rescued from the remains of the building. The management company responsible for the building had reported him safe. Click here to read more.
Clearing or burning beetle ravaged forests would remove wildfire fuel
Researchers say burning or clearing dead wood from forests killed by the mountain pine beetle would also remove fuel for wildfires. Click here to read more.
Will man convicted by questionable science 25 years ago be released
Tennessee man Claude Francis Garrett was convicted of murder based on questionable arson science twenty-five years ago. A report written in 2016 by a group of renowned fire scientists concluded there was no evidence to support the arson conviction. Click here to read...
Firefighter’s suicide “A punch to the gut”
Calling the suicide of an Edmonton firefighter "a punch to the gut", Fire Chief Ken Block is opening up the dialogue about PTSD and its effects on emergency responders. Click here to read more.
Wildfires are getting bigger and more frequent – can anything be done?
While climate change is contributing to more and bigger wildfires, particularly in BC and California, humans also have a lot to do with worsening wildfires. Can anything be done? Click here to read more.
Consultation to create national Indigenous Fire Marshal’s office to begin
The Aboriginal Firefighters Association of Canada will begin hosting consultations across the country this fall and winter with a target of April 1, 2019 to establish a national Indigenous Fire Marshal's office. Click here to read more.
Are Canadian museums vulnerable to fire?
After a devastating fire destroyed Brazil's National Museum Canadian museums are evaluating their emergency preparedness. Click here to read more.
Ford F-150s recalled due to seatbelt fire risk
Two million Ford F-150 pickups, including 340,000 in Canada, have been recalled due to a problem with the seatbelt pretensioners. Some pretensioners can generate excessive sparks when they deploy. There have been seventeen reports of smoke or fire in the U.S. and...
When to evacuate residents during a wildfire
A researcher at South Dakota State University has used fire spread modeling in conjunction with traffic simulation modeling to help emergency managers make decisions around evacuating residents during a wildfire. Click here to read more.
Acid leak on highway leads to multiple insurance claims
An incident involving two transport trucks leaking sulphuric acid on the main highway through Trail, BC has lead to 2,500 insurance claims for vehicle damage. Among the vehicles damaged were the city's year-old fire truck and a fire command vehicle. Click here to read...
Regina considers new fees under its fire bylaw
In an effort to improve public safety and align with provincial legislation and the National Fire Code the City of Regina is considering introducing new fees, including charging for false fire alarms, facility inspections and permits for open-air fires and selling...
June in fire history – Air Canada Flight 797
On June 2, 1983 Air Canada Flight 797 travelling from Dallas/Fort Worth to Montreal developed an in-flight fire behind the lavatory that forced the aircraft to divert to Cincinnati for an emergency landing. Twenty-three passengers died in the incident, which became a...
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