Halifax Professional Fire Fighters group calls for
accountability and change to ensure firefighter safety
HALIFAX: The following is statement issued by the Halifax Professional Fire Fighters.
“Halifax Professional Fire Fighters extend its unwavering support to the family, friends, and colleagues of Skyler Blackie, who tragically lost his life at the Nova Scotia Firefighters School (NSFS) due to preventable safety lapses.
The Blackie family’s courageous pursuit of accountability and legislative change is a call to action that we fully endorse.
The recent safety audit revealing 41 infractions at the NSFS, with 22 identified as high-risk, is a reminder that the necessary improvements to protect our firefighters have not been made.
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This negligence is unacceptable, and we join the Blackie family in demanding that the provincial government implement regulations to ensure such a tragedy never occurs again.
The petition launched by the Blackie family is a critical step toward creating meaningful legislative changes that will enforce higher safety standards and provide the oversight needed to protect current and future firefighters.
We urge all our members, their families, and the public to support this petition and stand with the Blackie family in their fight for justice and safety reform.
Statement from family: https://thelaker.ca/blackie-family-calls-for-change-in-wake-of-loved-ones-fatal-training-incident/
Statement from N.S. Fire School: https://thelaker.ca/statement-from-n-s-firefighters-school-regarding-concerns-from-the-blackie-family/
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Since the tragic loss of Skyler, our union has been steadfast in advocating that Halifax Regional Fire and Emergency (HRFE) cease the use of the NSFS in any capacity.
Unfortunately, HRFE’s training grounds are not adequate for all aspects of firefighter training, and therefore they continue to rely on the NSFS for certain training skills. We believe the ongoing risks at the NSFS without any accountability or enforcement outweigh the benefits of using the NSFS.
Our primary focus remains supporting the Blackie family’s efforts to secure accountability and improve safety for all Nova Scotia firefighters.
Firefighter safety is paramount, and the Blackie family’s petition is a call to act now in order to prevent further tragedies.”
