Aviation safety advocates say airports in Newfoundland and Labrador – and across the country – lack the firefighting resources needed in the event of a major accident.

George Power, a retired firefighter with a decades-long career at the Wabush, Gander and St. John’s airports, says change needs to happen at the federal level.

“Most Canadian airports are not prepared to carry out rescue operations with the current configuration,” he told CBC radio. The St. John’s Morning Show.

Power highlighted firefighter staffing levels and municipal firefighter training as two areas of concern.

According to a debriefing report from a 2022 emergency training exercise at St. John’s International Airport obtained by CBC News, three firefighters were assigned per shift at the time.

The report said the exercise simulated the crash of a plane carrying fewer than 20 passengers, which is much smaller than most flights landing in St. John’s.

Yet reports said there were “insufficient numbers of trained and qualified firefighters to be able to safely conduct search or rescue.”

One of the report’s six recommendations calls for the airport to quadruple its fire force to 12 firefighters per shift.

According to the report, the exercise also did not involve police officers or ambulances, even though airports are required to include both in emergency training under the Canadian Aviation Regulations. As a result, the report said, the scenario had the effect of “overwhelming resources”.

However, according to the airport authority, the St. John’s Regional Fire Department, Newfoundland and Labrador Health Services, the Royal Newfoundland Constabulary, Air Canada and other stakeholders participated in an exercise emergency planning event organized on September 25.

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George Power is a retired firefighter who worked at the St. John’s, Gander and Wabush airports. Most municipal fire departments respond to emergencies at airports, but they don’t have adequate training for scenarios such as a 300-person plane crashing on the tarmac, Power says. CBC’s Darryl Roberts takes a deeper dive into the readiness of St. John’s International Airport.

The St. John’s International Airport Authority declined an interview, but in a statement, spokesperson Lisa Bragg said the report was not officially generated by the airport authority.

“Furthermore, the report does not reflect the position of (the St. John’s International Airport Authority) nor the consensus view of participants in the September 2022 emergency response exercise,” Bragg said.

The release said the airport exceeds both the Canadian Aviation Regulations and Category 7 standards for airport rescue and firefighting, which require two firefighters on staff. According to the release, the airport employs 16 firefighters who work shifts 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, all year round.

The Canadian Union of Transportation Employees, which represents firefighters at the St. John’s airport, declined to comment for this story.

Training for municipal firefighters

The St. John’s Regional Fire Department assists airport firefighters in emergency situations. But, Power said, municipal firefighters also lack the critical training needed to perform rescue operations in the event of an accident.

“When they are ordered in, they find themselves in a dangerous environment and an extremely difficult situation to deal with if everything goes perfectly,” he said.

CBC News requested an interview with the St. John’s Regional Fire Department, but Deputy Chief Ian Green instead provided a statement, saying the department was responding to requests for “mutual aid” from the airport in the event of an emergency. emergency.

“St. John’s Regional Fire Department personnel would not be required to perform tasks outside of those for which they are trained and certified as part of their regular duties,” Green said.

Craig Smith is president of the St. John’s Fire Fighters Association, which represents firefighters from the St. John’s Regional Fire Department. He said members have expressed concerns to him about the training.

“We show up, we’re going to do what we’re going to do. Sometimes that puts our own lives at risk and our lives at risk. However, with significant and proper training, we mitigate those risks,” he said . .

But Smith said training isn’t just an issue for St. John’s firefighters.

Federal motion passed last year

The St. John’s Fire Fighters Association is part of the International Association of Firefighters (IAF), which has advocated for changes to federal aviation regulations for years.

This advocacy led to a private member’s motion introduced by British Columbia Liberal MP Ken Hardie, which passed unanimously in the House of Commons in December 2023.

The motion calls on the House to recognize an assessment of Canada’s aviation regulations by the IAF.

“Regulatory gaps regarding emergency response at Canada’s major airports needlessly endanger the safety of the traveling public,” the motion reads.

According to the motion, these deficiencies include failing to specify rescue as a required function of airport firefighting and requiring firefighters to reach the middle of the farthest runway in three minutes rather than all points of the operational tracks within this time frame.

Chris Bussey, another retired St. John’s airport firefighter, wants Canadian aviation regulations to be consistent with those set by the International Civil Aviation Organization.

“Canadian aviation regulations for emergency preparedness do not meet global standards and are not capable of rescuing passengers,” he said.

CBC News requested an interview with federal Transport Minister Anita Anand, but press secretary Laurent de Casanove sent a statement.

According to de Casanove, the federal government is consulting on changes to federal aviation regulations.

“Safety is our top priority. We are determined to continue working with our national and international partners, including the International Civil Aviation Organization,” de Casanove said.

De Casanove was unable to say when these changes would come to fruition.

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