Lack of oversight for N.S. fire school symptom of 'Wild West' reality: fire expert

Growing safety concerns at the Nova Scotia Firefighters School have prompted questions about oversight, and some say highlight larger issues with the fire service the province has left unaddressed for decades.

The fire school in Waverley, N.S., is a key site for both career and volunteer firefighters in the province. It offers training courses and equipment, and is where most members get tested for their professional qualifications.

But it's been under the microscope since Skyler Blackie, a full-time firefighter with the Truro Fire Service, died in March 2019 after the expired fire extinguisher he was using exploded during a certification exam.

A court case resulted in the school admitting in 2022 that it failed to perform routine inspections and keep adequate records. The Blackie family recently learned the training facility received 41 new safety recommendations as a result of a third-party review. Nova Scotia's Labour Department said 22 "high-risk activities" were noted by Occupation Health and Safety officers in July.

On Friday, the province said it had issued a stop-work order for the school, halting training classes indefinitely.

Denys Prevost, a retired firefighter in Hammonds Plains who spent his career in Nova Scotia and Ontario, said the school gets some provincial grants but relies heavily on course fees and fundraising.

"You get what you pay for — and unfortunately, I think that's what we're seeing now," Prevost said.

Prevost started his career in Waverley in 1978, not long after the fire school was established in 1967. He said he's logged many hours at the school over the years, which he said was set up originally to deliver professional training to firefighters in the absence of provincially mandated programs.

The fire school, and the province's professional qualifications board that is located at the same Waverley site, uses national training standards — but they're not actually required under Nova Scotia law. 

In Nova Scotia, municipalities and fire departments set their own expectations and standards for service. Because the province only has a limited pool of money levied from the insurance sector that departments can tap into for some training, fire halls are left to fundraise or pay out of pocket for courses or tests at the fire school.

"Down here it's pretty much the Wild West," Prevost said. "I don't think the legislation needs strengthening. The legislation just needs to exist because it's not there."

The law that most closely describes firefighting standards is the Municipal Government Act, which simply states members should "endeavour to extinguish the fire and prevent it from spreading."

The school is a non-profit with executive director John Cunningham at the head. Cunningham sits on the board that runs the school, alongside the provincial fire marshal, Doug MacKenzie, and fire service members from across Nova Scotia.

But when asked which body oversees the school and enforces any standards or oversight, the province said it's split among multiple departments. They include Labour, Advanced Education and the Office of the Fire Marshal that falls under the Department of Municipal Affairs and Housing.