Features
Fire-Rescue 2023

Sometimes, there are things you just don’t see coming. Hurricane Lee threatening the very occurrence of Canada’s national fire service conference  was one of them. With umpteen hours of planning invested, and chiefs and vendors flying in from all over the country, news of a tempestuous hurricane whipping its way along the east coast had the Canadian Association of Fire Chiefs (CAFC), and all those attending its Fire-Rescue conference from Sept. 17-20 in Halifax, keeping a close watch on its expected landfall. 

The CAFC sent daily updates preceding its Sunday start, with expectations on cancellation averted — the storm was to acquiesce just in time. Saturday winds reaching more than 90 km/h whipped through downtown Halifax, closing the airport to all flights. The National Hurricane Center in the U.S. clocked Lee’s post-tropical touchdown at about 4:00 pm in Long Island, N.S., flooding roads, downing trees, and cutting power for tens of thousands. Halifax councillor Pam Lovelace told CityNews that as of midday Saturday, 27 per cent of Nova Scotia, eight per cent of New Brunswick and three per cent of P.E.I. residents had no electricity. 

As fate were to have it, the calm after the storm arrived, and this editor flew in early Sunday morning to a breezy, grey day that even turned out some patio sun come afternoon. All in all, a few scheduled to attend were unable to rescheduled flights, but luck was onside and mostly everyone made it into the eastern capital whose downtown streets slope so persuasively toward the sea. 

The Westin Nova Scotian hotel served as co-host to the CAFC and its 300 conference participants. The trade show opened Sunday evening, followed by opening ceremonies and a welcome reception. 

Chief Ken McMullen, president of the CAFC, touched on the importance of coming together.  

“To my colleagues, delegates, board and NAC members, companions, exhibitors, sponsors, CAFC staff and staff of the Westin Nova Scotian, your presence and perseverance says to us how you feel about the fire service and the people within it…FRC 2023 was an opportunity to honour those who are here and remember those we have lost. We will celebrate excellence. We look for ways to improve, and most importantly we will be together.”  

Conference agenda: A buffet of takeaways
Fire-Rescue packed a lot of critical conversation into its three-day agenda, and what follows is by no means comprehensive, but rather a curation of highlights. 

A broad stroke look at what’s happening in Fire and EMS called out some pretty universal challenges across the country. Recruitment and retention were mentioned by mostly all of the provincial and territory chiefs delivering the cross-country check-up, including national defence. Chiefs from Alberta, B.C. and the Yukon spoke about wildfires; the metro chiefs’ perspective expanded on this with concern of the extreme weather events and municipal FDs not being equipped and trained to respond, these events also being tiring to crews and damaging to equipment. P.E.I. brought up issues around proper use of generators and climate emergencies. As part of the conference, a case study of an extreme weather event was shared by Fire Chief (Ret.) Tom DeSorcy, who presented a video on Hope, B.C.’s 2021 atmospheric river event. 

There is much ado about medical. The opioid crisis is hitting B.C., Alberta and Saskatchewan particularly hard. In Manitoba, EMS wait times and the impacts of a streamlined healthcare system being offloaded on FDs were of chief concern, while Ontario noted the changes impacting Fire provincially on the EMS front with the transition to MPDS triage and simultaneous dispatch, alongside incoming NextGen 911. In Nunavut, the fire department is also dealing with all things medical, including facing a lot of suicide calls. Internally, mental health of members and WSIB claims were concerns noted by several provinces. 

In terms of training and attrition, managing the mandatory certification legislation for firefighters in Ontario is still a hurdle in terms of attainability and costs. In Nunavut, no roads mean all goods and people are flown in, making the cost of everything high and training difficult for most FDs. Yukon flagged aging leadership and time commitments for its volunteer ranks, the latter seems likely to be of universal concern for volunteer and composite departments. Staffing, in Fire and healthcare, was cited as Newfoundland and Labrador’s biggest issue.

Governance and government reform is impacting New Brunswick and Nova Scotia, while Quebec highlighted the need to discuss more strategies for fire prevention. 

Aging infrastructure, public and municipal expectations, tax credits and the need for a modernized funding program were amongst the other national issues identified provincially. 

The CAFC has been lobbying for a national fire advisor as a key part of its federal mandate and welcomed the U.S. Fire Administrator, Dr. Lori Moore-Merrell, to address the room and share the history and insights into the U.S. organization. In America, the Federal Fire Prevention and Control Act came into effect of 1974 to establish a national training academy, manage the delivery of pub ed, data collection and research and tech, as well as oversee and support the National Fire and Emergency Training Center. It indicated a national fire administrator be appointed by a president, and report to the administrator of FEMA. The CAFC has been advocating for a similar model to exist in Canada. 

An update on East Hastings, hoarding and community safety
The 100-block of East Hastings Street in Vancouver is legendary amongst Canadian homeless encampments. By 2022, safety hit an all-time low for its residents; the violence compounded by an intensified post-covid opioid crisis. Then, a major fire rocked 169 East Hastings on July 6, 2022.  The scope of the fire problem on Hastings was tough to gauge, said Vancouver Fire Chief Karen Fry. They didn’t have the data categorized correctly, but they knew fires were up, fueled by a trend towards inhalation and torches — veritable fire starters — to consume opioids. A small correlation was found between fires and overdoses. 

Vancouver Fire Rescue Services (VFRS) has responded to an onslaught of overdoses on Hastings, and firefighters didn’t feel safe in part because entering tents for a medical call might mean facing a hatchet or a gun in the face. When gangs are allowed to settle into encampments, the residents weaponize, she said. 

The risk of inaction was too great, even though such costs as displaced persons facing additional hardship were a reality. The fire chief is responsible for applying the Fire Service’s Act; for removing fire safety hazards for residents and enforcing fire by-laws, in addition to responding to the medical emergencies, she prefaced.  

“If you know there’s a risk to loss of life or buildings and don’t do something…so we did something. Once you make a decision, stick to it,” said Fry. 

The first step was to determine the stakeholders, everyone from the citizens of the encampment and Vancouver to Fire. Next was to understand how the 2022 Hastings crisis came to be – how it emerged from an unaffordable housing crisis, an end to police assistance in enforcement (tents stayed overnight), and more opioid dependency. On July 25, 2022, VFRS issued an order to remove the tents, but Fry said this was ineffective without police presence. Fry worked to engage and align the key stakeholders, plan, and take action. 

This action resulted in a significant teardown of the encampment on April 5. The police and city staff were brought in to assist. Crews took down 94 entrenched structures and removed 50 propane tanks from the encampment zone. Over 71 personal storage totes were provided to individuals and housing alternatives were sought for the decamped. In the wake of the April initiative, VFRS received 27 fewer overdose-related calls the week of April 3-9 than the previous week and 82 fewer than the two weeks earlier, reported a city press statement. Enforcement and removal continues, and this monumental task hasn’t been without its backlash. Fry said it was key to “stay the course,” face the criticism head on, track the data, and focus on your obligations and results. 

Moving eastward across Canada, Assistant Chief Yvonne Raymer shared housing initiatives and challenges in Saskatoon, where she turned the audience attention to hoarding, a significant community and firefighter safety issue.  For fighters, this is risky on several fronts, such as trip hazards and risk of structural collapse. Once, Saskatoon firefighters went in with no knowledge of air quality, had to wear their SCBA, and found two deceased in the house. 

Saskatoon also faces challenges with unsafe and inadequate housing and has an encampment process in place that focuses on showing respect to the residents, building trust, and offering supports. About 40 per cent of the unhoused accept housing support, and around 80 per cent will take some form of help such as transportation or food. 

Raymer said they are seeing a record number of derelict structures being closed, and the action taken has been to provide a notice of closure rather than an eviction. 

 Continuing eastward, Winnipeg Fire Paramedic Services Deputy Chief Scott Wilkinson talked about street level community risk reduction. When it comes to substance use, meth psychosis is a danger to firefighters, and associated community safety issues include loss of life/disability, strain on the healthcare system and connected problems like crime. He also brought up human trafficking as something Fire can become more aware of because firefighters are out in the communities and can help police and victims by being eyes on the street if they know what to look for. These are not just social issues, said Wilkinson, they are risk issues, and they are not just metro problems. 

Metro or rural, service levels and changing expectations in the community are a definite conversation for 2023 and beyond. Leduc County Fire Department Chief Keven Lefebvre, who  was joined by Erica Thomas from Transitional Solutions, introduced a key slide that identified the challenge a fire chief is faced  with when determining service levels: develop and run a department that can provide the level of service that is acceptable to the “public it serves, the public officials it reports to, and those who operate the service.” All this in an environment of changing expectations, and for the fire chief, consideration of numerous municipal risks: “inadequate response times, reduced firefighter safety, loss of life, legal and liability issues, negative public perception, economic impacts, regulatory non-compliance, improper apparatus and equipment procurement, increased or unnecessary costs and increased fire spread and property damage.”

Still reducing the stigma, shedding light on cancer
The awareness around mental health in Fire has no doubt grown, but it is in some ways still a preteen when it comes to reducing the stigma. Private disclosure still seems preferred by firefighters, said Joy MacDermid, a professor at Western University in London, Ont., who has been involved in extensive research on firefighters. MacDermid stated this in the context of her evaluation of how well the PeerOnCall app works for the fire sector. Her findings suggest firefighters like texting or using resources within the app because it is more private, meaning there is still a stigma in coming forward. That being said, in a smaller department, texting isn’t totally anonymous and people may be able to figure out who is texting based on details being discussed. Communities can join together, which makes it more anonymous. One of the salient benefits appeared to be the ability to hear from other people who understand the context of what you face. This is a powerful connection not only in mental health, but in the face of a cancer diagnosis — and there has been some new research to report on regarding cancer risk in firefighters. 

Paul Demers with the Occupational Cancer Research Centre (OCRC) shared the findings of a 2019 advisory group formed through the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC). The researchers looked specifically at cancer in firefighters via 52 studies, 12 case reports and seven meta-analyses. They looked at several site-specific cancers and correlations to fire fighting. 

The strongest evidence linked mesothelioma, bladder, colon, prostate, testicular, melanoma, non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma and lung cancers to fire fighting. They found two cancer types with sufficient evidence to be linked, and they were mesothelioma and bladder. Demers noted that asbestos, a triggering factor for mesothelioma, doesn’t burn but stays up in the air. There are also a number of components in fire smoke that have been linked to bladder cancer. There was limited evidence for colon, prostate, testicular, melanoma and non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. On final evaluation, they classified occupational exposure as a firefighter as a Group 1 carcinogen. This is a change from 2007’s IARC classification of Group 2B (possibly carcinogenic to humans). 

Researchers noted a lack of consistency across some of the studies, no evidence that risk increases with more exposure (a limitation across all cancer sites), and possible confounding factors like non-work sun exposure for melanoma. Research gaps were identified, and in 2022 the OCRC and Health Canada co-hosted a workshop in Ottawa to identify priority firefighter cancer research areas. The workshop report is expected to be released soon. Some of these gaps include under-represented subsets of the firefighter population like wildland, military, aviation or characteristics like females or non-white ethnicities, alongside non-suppression jobs like fire investigators. 

Current data is also indicating, contrary to the current line of thinking, that the overall cancer risk to firefighters over the general population may not be as high as previously thought, he said.

Volunteer Fire Chief of the Year Dean Mineault of Beausejour Brokenhead Fire Department with CAFC president Ken McMullen (L) and Michael Currie, VP for Fire Underwriters Survey.

Taking care and taking the lead
Two keynotes designed to inspire closed out the conference. 

First up, Captain Rashawn Fulcher with Sacramento Metropolitan Fire Protection District in California. Fulcher, who runs a coaching and consulting business, was a national level champion athlete and the youngest Black fire captain in his area. His presentation, “Taking Care of “Our” People and Ourselves (slowing down to speed up),” focused on equity, diversity, inclusion and leadership.   

“Life’s about navigating turns,” he said. “You go too slow, and you’ll be hit from behind, but too fast and you’ll hit something else.” 

Diversity is not a destination, but a journey measured in milestones, he added; diversity must move from being a priority to being an intrinsic value. And the pathway is what Fulcher calls “educational grace.” 

“The way we move forward is to know we are going to fail, but it gives us the room to move, to explore.” 

Fulcher’s “slow down to speed up” message is about having the emotional intelligence to recognize the feelings at play in any given situation. Slowing down to meet someone at their emotions saves time in getting the issue solved, he explained, so this speeds things up. 

 “If we acknowledge the emotions, we move the ball forward,” he said, adding that you give a piece of yourself away to everyone you meet, positive and negative, so try to genuinely see everyone you meet — really see them. 

To close the conference, Toronto’s Fire Chief Matthew Pegg dialled in on truths at the heart of high-performance leadership. He first considers skill, and that while skill is often a metric of promotion it is rarely the catalyst to termination. Teams fail because of a lack of trust, he said, an absence no skill can compensate for.   

Though one can be skilled with words in a way that matters. Facing three daily press conferences during his time as Toronto’s COVID-19 incident commander, he learned that the “impact of your words is inversely proportional to the number of words used.”  Be efficient with your remarks and those words will hit harder. 

During an incident, it’s about managing your “span of control.” Know what you can delegate: work, responsibility and authority. And what you cannot: your expertise and accountability. Within the personal span of control, the difference between ambition and obsession comes down to the sphere, he said: Ambition means controlling oneself. Obsession is the fixation on controlling everyone else. Ambition equals awareness where obsession creates blindness. Importantly, he said, ambition left unsupervised can become obsession. 

When you refrain from using positional power, that’s actually a strong demonstration of that power, he said. 

“Being a consistent leader is real gift to your team.” 

In the end, the opportunity to gather Fire friends and colleagues from around the country was a gift to a fire service facing several urgent issues that need information sharing and brainstorming to mobilize solutions. Extreme weather like the near conference-canceller Hurricane Lee being one shared nationally, along with recruitment and retention. Canada’s fire service proves to be on the precipice of change. 

AWARD WINNERS
The gala dinner took place Tuesday evening, including the presentation of the Fire Chief of the awards by Fire Underwriters Survey. 

• Volunteer Fire Chief of the Year: Dean Mineault, Beausejour Brokenhead Fire Department 
• Career Fire Chief of the Year: Morgan Hackl, Saskatoon Fire Department 
• Proud Practices in Equity, Diversity & Inclusion Award: Edmonton Fire Rescue for its Employees Facing Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) program 
• President’s Award: Deputy Chief Richard Amnotte, Lévis fire department in Quebec 

Next year’s national conference will be held in Montreal.