Indigenous Affairs Minister Carolyn Bennett has committed to resume tracking fire-related deaths in First Nations communities and to establishing an indigenous fire marshal’s office to oversee data collection and spearhead fire prevention. At least 173 people have died in fires on First Nations reserves since the federal government stopped tracking such deaths in 2010.
Although many First Nations have poor or non-existent fire protection services there are some success stories. The Six Nations Fire Department in Ontario and the Cree Nation independent government in Quebec have well-equipped and trained fire departments.
The province of British Columbia has added breast cancer, prostate cancer and multiple myeloma to the list of illnesses covered by the Workers Compensation Act under the Firefighters Occupational Disease Regulation.
Victoria Fire Department has adopted a program developed by the Canadian Mental Health Association and the Vancouver Fire Department that focuses on pre-incident care for its first responders. Drug overdose calls in Victoria have recently increased dramatically.
Research that repeatedly exposed sleeping children to the sound of standard smoke detectors found more than 80% of the children, aged between two and 13, did not respond to the alarm. Dave Coss, fire investigator and watch commander at Derbyshire fire and rescue service, and scientists at the University of Dundee are carrying out a study testing new fire alarm sounds.
The National Fire Protection Association has issued a bulletin on fire hose safety that reminds the fire service of the importance of following NFPA 1961 (Standard on Fire Hose) and NFPA 1962 (Standard for the Care, Use, Inspection, Service Testing and Replacement of Fire Hose, Couplings, Nozzles and Fire Hose Appliances).
Alberta’s wildfire plan for 2017 includes longer contracts for water tankers hired to fight fires and increased fines for abandoning campfires or burning during bans.
Orange County Fire Rescue recently launched two lifesaving apps that encourage citizens with CPR training to respond to sudden cardiac arrest incidents near them. The apps, PulsePoint Respond and Pulse Point AED, notify users through their mobile devices that someone nearby is in need of CPR and direct them to the nearest pubicly accessible automated external defibrillator.
Australia’s all-time worst bushfire disaster took place in February 2009, when an exceptional heat wave sparked 400 fires in the state of Victoria. One hundred seventy-three people died and 414 were injured. February 7 has become widely referred to in Australia as Black Saturday.