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Fighting fires from new heights, Fredericton firefighters get specialized training

Firefighters from Fredericton, Halifax and Moncton got special training on how to best respond to fires that break out in buildings taller than three storeys. (Shane Fowler/CBC - image credit)
Firefighters from Fredericton, Halifax and Moncton got special training on how to best respond to fires that break out in buildings taller than three storeys. (Shane Fowler/CBC - image credit)

Fredericton might not be home to towering skyscrapers, but that's not stopping its fire department from preparing for that future.

As the city continues to grow, apartment and office buildings are getting higher.

That's why the Fredericton Fire Department took part in recent training to better prepare for calls to those taller structures.

"Typically a high rise is anything above three storeys, and as you can see in the city, we've been dealing with quite a number of apartment buildings that have gone up in the area," said Platoon Capt. Glenn Sullivan, standing outside the department's training base on Two Nations Crossing.

WATCH | See how firefighters are training to fight high-rise fires:

Sullivan said with fires in single-family homes, firefighters would typically respond by hooking up a hose to a truck or a fire hydrant, and enter through the front door.

That doesn't quite work in taller buildings, where the fire might be on the fifth or sixth floor, he said.

Instead, firefighters have to haul hoses into the building and carry them up many floors, hook them up to a water source in the building, and then start dousing the flames.

While the department has responded to such fires before, there were limited capabilities with the personnel and techniques available, he said.

"It has unique challenges, requires more personnel and requires better techniques to ensure better outcomes," he said, adding that buildings are now as tall as 10 storeys in Fredericton.

Shane Fowler/CBC
Shane Fowler/CBC

About 40 firefighters took part in the training session in Fredericton, which also included members from the Halifax, Corner Brook, N.L. and Moncton fire departments.

Toronto Fire Service Capt. Brent Brooks led the training. He works with the Toronto Fire's high-rise unit, and has been researching best practices ever since a 2010 fire on Wellesley Street that injured 17 people and left about 1,200 people homeless.

Brooks said he's since travelled around the world donating his time and expertise, and considers no city too small for its fire department to be trained on high-rise responses.

"New Brunswick is you know one of those provinces that's growing and they're going to go vertical and they need some help, and Toronto's the, you know, the largest city in Canada and has the most high-rises in Canada, so I think it's a good fit," he said.

Shane Fowler/CBC
Shane Fowler/CBC

Brooks said much of the training involves getting firefighters comfortable with using a larger hose that's heavier, and much harder to control, than the type that's typically used to fight house fires.

"So what I'm doing here is basically taking the fear out of this big line that we once all feared because of the nozzle reaction, and we're showing them, you know, better techniques, better ergonomics and moving that big line.

"Especially departments that … may not have the staffing, they need this type of training to be able to get water on the fire faster."

Shane Fowler/CBC
Shane Fowler/CBC

Brooks said he's already provided the training to firefighters in Moncton during a session also attended by members of the Saint John Fire Department.

"So it's just about spreading that word and spreading that knowledge, and as a researcher, you know, even when I come to a small city, I'm actually learning little tips and tricks from them that I can take back to the big department or I can spread it to the next department that I teach.

"So I'm lucky to be here."