Fire chief, residents fear serial arsonists

A rash of suspicious fires in New Brunswick’s Kent County has left many area residents afraid to go to bed at night. Derrick Fearon says his house in Bass River was set ablaze while he and his family were sleeping inside. "It was four o'clock in the morning and I heard 'pak pak' ... and I woke up and my house was on fire," he said.
A total of 34 suspicious fires have been lit in the past two years in and around the Beersville area. Even the local fire chief declined to speak to reporters, fearing for his safety and his property. >> Read full article

Hamilton firefighters execute multiple rescues

Fire crews in Hamilton, Ont., were busy saving stranded hikers and would-be climbers at Hamilton waterfalls Saturday. Firefighters were called to three different areas in two and a half hours to save eight people and a dog. >> Read full article

Firefighter granted bail

A volunteer firefighter facing more than a dozen arson charges in Cape Breton has been granted bail. >> Read full article

Teen dies from injuries sustained in fire

Police say a teenager has died days after a house fire that also took the life of a 21-year-old man. The OPP say they're working with the Office of the Ontario Fire Marshal to investigate the cause of the Aug. 30 fire, which happened in the southwestern Ontario town of Dorchester. >> Read full article

Train – absolutely free!

There’s still time to sign up for our FREE Firefighter Training Day at the Fire and Emergency Services Institute next Saturday, Sept. 17.

We have spots in three fabulous courses:

• Fire education and prevention programming with award-winning public educator Samantha Hoffman; this session focuses on public ed that works for small, volunteer departments. Come and see Sam in action and learn how to create a public-education program for you department that works!
• Leadership succession ¬– or how to prevent a leadership crisis in your department. Have you noticed that more and more departments are hiring from outside? Why is this happening, and how can your department prepare firefighters to be leaders?
• Patient packaging and triage: this hands-on course includes theoretical and practical skills stations and focuses on collaring, backboarding, patient moves, multiple-casualty management, and triage

Firefighters charged with multiple counts of arson

In this week’s episode of Fire Fighting in Canada This Week, host Tamar Atik reports on two Nova Scotia firefighters being charged with multiple counts of arson, and an Ontario fire chief being forced by council to retire; plus, Mississauga Fire Chief Tim Beckett outlines strategies for managing the media – and the message – in a crisis. >> Learn More…

Just released

This updated manual is for fire department staff and others who review plans for compliance with fire and building codes to ensure public safety in the built environment. Content in this book is appropriate for any plan examiners in fire prevention divisions, fire marshal bureaus, building departments and community risk reduction organizations. >> Learn More