Executive director of Nova Scotia Firefighters School faces calls to resign

Union leaders and the family of a firefighter who died while attending the Nova Scotia Firefighters School in Waverley, N.S., are calling on the school’s executive director to resign.

Skyler Blackie, a full-time firefighter with the Truro Fire Service, died in March 2019 after the expired extinguisher he was using exploded during a certification exam. This year, the family was provided information revealing Blackie informed his instructor, but was told to use it anyway.

Earlier this week, the provincial government ended a stop work order for the school, allowing it to resume its activities. All classes had been suspended since August.

Blaine Blackie, Skyler’s father, as well as firefighter unions in Halifax and Truro, want executive director John Cunningham to resign. Cunningham did not return a request for comment.

“It took the stop work order to sort of get them off their butt and start looking after the safety there, which sort of goes to their character,” Blackie said. “They’ve had five years to look after the safety there and they have not done anything until their hand was forced.”

Truro firefighters have not participated in any activity run by the school over the last five years, according to a statement from Tom Malone, president of the Truro Professional Firefighters Association. 

“Now we are asking all other N.S. fire departments to not use the fire school until major changes are made to management, board of directors and funding,” said Malone. 

Joe Triff, vice-president of the Halifax Professional Firefighters Association, said the union leadership continues to advocate for members to stop training with the non-profit school. 

“The culture at the fire school is responsible for a death of a firefighter,” said Triff. “And we don’t believe that the leadership that was in place at the time has taken this seriously.”

The school can reopen with conditions.

“The propane equipment remains locked until it is deemed in compliance with the Fuel Safety Regulations and only limited controlled fire simulations are permitted at this time,” according to a Department of Labour statement. “The School is still not permitted to offer the entry-level occupational-training under the Private Careers Colleges Act.”

A statement from the firefighters school said the process “reaffirms our commitment to maintaining the highest safety standards for everyone.” 

The Department of Labour declined to provide a copy of the stop work order to CBC News.