Family seeks reform as details of firefighter’s death at N.S. training school emerge
Global News
The family of the Nova Scotia firefighter is stepping up its push for reform after learning he had raised concerns about the equipment that led to his death.
The family of a Nova Scotia firefighter who died during a 2019 training session is stepping up its push for reform of a firefighting school after learning he had raised concerns about the equipment that led to his death.
Skyler Blackie died in March 2019 after the bottom of a rusted extinguisher blew off as he recharged it with propellant during a certification exam at the non-profit Nova Scotia Firefighters School in Waverley, N.S. The extinguisher was one of several that had been donated to the school by a decommissioned refinery.
A Labour Department incident report obtained and released this week by Blackie’s family says that during the training session, Blackie “observed some rust on the bottom of the extinguisher but was assured it was all right to use from the instructor.”
Blaine Blackie, Skyler’s father, said in an interview Friday that he was shocked to learn this detail, even after sitting through the court case that resulted in a provincial court judge fining the school in 2022 for safety violations.
“This week was the first time we heard that,” he said. “It went from a gut punch to crying. It was so sad.”
The school didn’t immediately respond to telephone and email requests for comment regarding the report.
The latest details about Blackie’s death come just days after the Labour Department indicated that a safety audit of the school found the facility has received 41 new safety recommendations, and noted 22 “high-risk activities” were found by health and safety officers.
The family has called on the province to bring the school into the community college system and to tighten regulatory oversight of its practices.
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