FireWatch
FireWatch is a service that provides links to news stories from the fire community that have attracted our attention.
B.C. announces new jet to fight wildfires
The province has announced a "made in B.C." tool to fight forest fires this summer. B.C.'s aerospace sector has been engineering the latest in aerial firefighting technology. Click here to read more.
B.C.’s Fire Safety Act to be revamped
A law that mandates fire safety in B.C. is getting a much needed update. The new Fire Safety Act will modernize the regulatory framework for fire safety in the province. Click here to read more.
Australian firefighters to boycott Montreal Police and Fire Games
Thousands of Australian fireighters will boycott the annual World Police and Fire Games in Montreal next year due to an ongoing dispute between the city and its firefighters over pension reform. Click here to read more.
Time to redesign the big old red fire truck?
City streets are getting slimmer. Shouldn't emergency vehicles do the same? Anyone who lives in a city has watched large, boxy fire trucks and fire engines struggle to squeeze through traffic. It's no wonder firefighters call for wider roads. It's a safer design, they...
Fatal apartment fire sparks debate over inspection laws, sprinklers
A fatal fire at a Toronto apartment building for low-income seniors has provoked renewed scrutiny of provincial laws regarding inspections and automatic sprinklers - the latter a safety measure that the city's deputy fire chief says, "certainly would have made a...
February in fire history – Parliament Hill fire
It's difficult to imagine the scale of the trauma, the wartime anxiety, the shock, the anger that would have engulfed the nation 100 years ago when the seat of the federal government went down in flames. Click here to read more.
Applications for funding for 2nd Wildfire Preparedness Day being accepted
Building upon the success of the inaugural event in 2015, the second National Wildfire Community Preparedness Day in Canada will be held on May 7, 2016. Starting January 25, 2016 communities across Canada are encouraged to apply for funding to support local events to...
Owners, tenants charged in inferno that left three firefighters near death
The tenants and owner of a Malton warehouse that blew up in April 2014, badly injuring three Mississauga firefighters, appear to be going to trial later this year to face Ontario Fire Code charges, fire officials say. here to read more.
Fire code changes after blaze at seniors’ residence
Manitoba has implemented changes to the provincial building and fire codes as a result of recommendations from the Fire Safety Task Force.
Barn fires prompt fire officials to call for changes
Three barn fires in ten days have Ontario fire officials renewing a call for changes to the farm building code. The current code is over 20 years old and hasn't been updated since 1995. Click here to read more.
Fire authorities reject criticism from ‘armchair generals’
Western Australia authorities have strongly rejected criticism of their response to a massive bushfire that killed two people and almost razed the town of Yarloop. Click here to read more.
Cheap plastic film prevents batteries from catching fire
Laptops, airplanes, electric cars, and even the new rolling hoverboards have all faced troubles with lithium-ion batteries bursting into flames. But now, researchers report they've come up with a potential cheap and effective way to prevent batteries from overheating....
Owner of complex pleads guilty to failing to maintain smoke alarms
The owner of a Brampton, Ontario townhouse complex on Ardglen Drive has pleaded guilty to fire code charges laid one year before a blaze that killed a 10 year old boy. Click here to read more.
Lung cancer added to Ontario firefighter health coverage
As of January 1, the onus is no longer on firefighters and fire investigators in Ontario to prove their lung cancer is work-related. It is the latest condition to be covered under what is called presumptive legislation, which was first passed for firefighters in...
January in fire history-Sacred Heart College fire
January 18th marks the 78th anniversary of the Sacred Heart College fire. Forty-one boys and five priests lost their lives when fire destroyed Sacred Heart College at St. Hyacinthe, a small manufacturing city near Montreal. Click here to read more.
Skyscraper blaze in Persian Gulf raises questions about safety
A blaze that engulfed a Dubai skyscraper on New Year's Eve - the emirate's third high-rise fire in three years - has raised fresh questions about the safety of materials used on the exteriors of tall buildings across the wealthy region. Click here to read more.
Little to no fire protection in almost half of First Nations reserves
An internal federal government report says almost half the First Nations across Canada have "little to no fire protection" and rely too heavily on poorly trained volunteer firefighters who can't do the job. Click here to read more.
Firefighters sue siren maker over hearing loss
Over four thousand current and former U.S. firefighters are suing Federal Signal Corp., an Illinois-based company that makes sirens, claiming it didn't do enough to make the sirens safer for those on fire trucks who have to listen to them nearly every day. Click here...
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Movers & Shakers
Greater Napanee Fire promotes Shawn Armstrong to Fire Chief- Appleton Fire Department Captain Jeffrey “Nelly” Nelessen retires after 29 years of service
- Glendale Fire Department Fire Chief Greg Fish announces retirement after 33 years of service
- Waynesville names a long-time loyal firefighter, Chris Mehaffey, as interim Fire Chief