FireWatch

FireWatch is a service that provides links to news stories from the fire community that have attracted our attention.

PTSD bill a matter of life and death, paramedic says

Paramedic Lisa Jennings found herself living in her car for 10 days this year. The car became a temporary home after she had to leave the garage she was renting with $375 of her $906 monthly B.C.disability allowance. Click here to read more.

No scientific basis for arson ruling in fatal 1985 blaze

No scientific basis for arson ruling in fatal 1985 blaze

Philadelphia fire investigators had no scientific basis to conclude that a 1985 rowhouse fire in Oxford Circle was arson, a defense expert testified about the blaze that killed two boys and sent their father to death row for their murder. Click here to read more.

Montreal cancels 2017 World Police and Fire Games

Montreal cancels 2017 World Police and Fire Games

Montreal has cancelled its plans to host the 2017 World Police and Fire Games, one of the largest international multidisciplinary sporting events on the planet, following a growing union movement to boycott the games.

Passenger`s phone catches fire mid-flight

Passenger`s phone catches fire mid-flight

An Alaska Airlines passenger`s phone burst into flames on a flight en route to Hawaii, and the airline and the FAA say they are investigating. Click here to read more.

Residents want NRC facility shut down after water contamination

Residents want NRC facility shut down after water contamination

Residents of a Mississippi Mills, Ontario neighbourhood who recently found out their drinking water has been contaminated with chemicals found in firefighting foam want the neighbourhood National Research Council facility shut down until the problem is resolved. Click...

First Nation communities hope to improve fire prevention

First Nation communities hope to improve fire prevention

Fire prevention strategies for First Nations communities can still be improved on, according to the Aboriginal Firefighters Association of Canada (AFAC). Richard Kent, AFAC secretary and treasurer, spent a week in Ottawa as part of a delegation discussing ways to...

Lack of training, staffing contributed to firefighter deaths

Lack of training, staffing contributed to firefighter deaths

A lack of training to fight a wind-driven fire, the lack of a sprinkler system, inadequate staffing, and an inadequate assessment of risk were factors in the deaths of two Boston firefighters in a 2014 blaze that tore through a Back Bay brownstone, according to a...

March in fire history – the Lasalle Heights disaster

March in fire history – the Lasalle Heights disaster

In the early morning of March 1, 1965 in the city of Lasalle, Quebec a gas line exploded, destroying a number of low-cost housing units. Twenty-eight people lost their lives, 39 were injured and 200 were left homeless. Click here to read more.

B.C. announces new jet to fight wildfires

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

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.

Time to redesign the big old red fire truck?

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

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...

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