Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Reading about a WSCC stop work order of the Fort Resolution fire department in December of 2014 did leave many asking how. How did this hamlet get itself in this predicament?
Although little was said or reported, the concern was about the safety of the volunteer firefighters. But what was never discussed was the root problem of why there were so many safety deficiencies, training and equipment maintenance issues.
Armed with more questions than answers, I attempted to peel back the layers surrounding this concern. Interestingly, through my findings, this is not an isolated case in the Northwest Territories. Actually, many, if not most communities in the NWT, struggle with the capacity to provide reliable fire service. For the most part, there appears to be a lack of buy-in for a proper fire safety culture. There are few volunteers, constant turnover, very little training, let alone recertification, unmaintained equipment and what appears to be insufficient budgets. Researching further, we know that training modules have been developed, but there is a gap in whether competencies are being tested.
So I’m concerned, should this be left as is, we are putting our residents at grave risk. So, when this government is supporting a global presumption of basic emergency services at community levels are working safely and efficiently, this, in my opinion, is wrong.
We should be asking our leadership, when was the last time communities were assessed for their ability to deliver emergency services? Where can we find community information that indicates compliance to codes and standards of emergency services? Where is this report and are the findings made public? Is money being wasted? We are not sure, but it is clear we are surrounding this issue with too much politics and drowning it by design.
I will be discussing this topic later today with the Minister of Municipal and Community Affairs. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.