CBC News
OTTAWA — Ottawa firefighters said they need more training and better protection against toxic materials when putting out blazes at sites where plastics, microfibres or resins are burning.
Emergency workers from the city are meeting this week with firefighters from around the world as part of the Ottawa Fire Symposium at Carleton University.
Fire officials are looking to provincial and municipal governments to provide the tools and training necessary to protect their front-line workers against toxic materials.
Ottawa Fire Chief John deHooge said training today remains much the same as 30 years ago, but the materials firefighters are exposed to have changed.
“We find out after the fact just how bad things are for us or to the environment,” said deHooge. “We have a lot to do to catch up as a fire service to remain current.”
It was over a year ago that fire crews put out a blaze that destroyed Ottawa’s Tommy & Lefebvre sporting goods store on Bank Street.
Capt. Peter McBride, the safety chief for Ottawa Fire Services, said 100 firefighters who were at the store fire were exposed to tiny carbon fibres that were released into the air as clothing and synthetics from skis burned.
McBride said the most important thing for fire crews is to have stringent decontamination procedures.
Some firefighters already change at the scene of a fire when they know they are dealing with hazardous materials so their uniforms can be cleaned of toxins.
But it is not always clear when fires are burning potentially toxic material, McBride said.
“We’re doing this on a case by case basis,” he said. “I believe we have to look at it being done all the time because the gases that emit from the fire can actually permeate the gear.”
“What we need to do is get that away from our skin as fast as possible,” he said.
Copyright 2010 Roll Call, Inc.
All Rights Reserved
Copyright 2010 CBC
All Rights Reserved
CBC News