Vancouver’s fire department is set to be the first in North America to provide gear free of cancer-causing chemicals, thanks to over $2.8 million in municipal funding. City council unanimously approved Vancouver Fire Rescue Services’ request to purchase bunker gear free of Per-and-Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS), known as ‘forever chemicals’ linked to cancer.
Around 40 Island civil service workers are preparing for wildland firefighter training, which could nearly double the number of provincially paid firefighters if all succeed. The province is collaborating with Natural Resources Canada to boost wildland firefighting capacity.
Kamloops will host North America’s first school for wildfire training and education, a collaboration between TRU and the BC Wildfire Service. The school will offer subjects from basic wildfire training to post-doctoral research, with credits applicable to undergraduate degrees. Program design begins this year, with training at existing facilities starting in 2025. A state-of-the-art building is planned, though costs are yet to be determined. Ralston expects the facility to attract students from B.C., Canada, and beyond.
A national paramedic shortage is severely impacting the New Haven Fire Department. According to Fire Chief John Alston, with 53 vacancies among over 300 budgeted firefighter positions, the department is operating with only about one-third of its usual paramedic staff.
In 2023, the Saskatoon Fire Department handled 25,176 calls for service, a 57% increase from 2019’s 16,029 calls. This incident rise was highlighted in the 2023 SFD Year in Review presented at this week’s environment, utilities, and corporate services committee meeting.
Researchers in Melbourne, Australia, have developed a solar chimney that’s both energy-efficient and fire-safe, a first-of-its-kind innovation for sustainable building features.
Click here for an additional 7 interesting facts about solar panels.
Click here to read more.
A Texas A&M Forest Service investigator’s report released on Friday revealed that a power line sparked the largest wildfire in Texas history. The investigation pinpointed the decayed base of a power line pole as the cause of the Smokehouse Creek fire.
San Francisco’s Fire Department announced implementing a new fire code policy, focusing on charging and storing lithium-ion batteries for Powered Mobility Devices (PMDs). This policy responds to a notable rise in fires attributed to lithium-ion batteries. Henceforth, all PMDs in San Francisco must be safety-certified.
The Thompson Professional Firefighters Association raises concerns about escalating call volumes and stagnant staffing levels, warning of potential impacts on public safety. The fire department in the northern Manitoba city is currently short eight full-time members, representing roughly a third of its workforce.
A recent report from the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) reveals concerning levels of cancer-causing PFAS and persistent chemicals in the textiles used for manufacturing firefighters’ protective coats and pants.