Canadian airports 'not prepared' for major crashes, says former St. John's airport firefighter
St. John's International Airport Authority says it meets or exceeds safety standards
Aviation safety advocates say airports in Newfoundland and Labrador — and across the country — lack the firefighting resources needed in the event of a major crash.
George Power, a retired firefighter with a decades-long career at airports in Wabush, Gander and St. John's, believes change needs to happen at the federal level.
"Most of the Canadian airports are not prepared to do rescue with the current setup," he told CBC Radio's The St. John's Morning Show.
Power pointed to firefighter staffing levels and training for municipal firefighters 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 being staffed per shift at the time.
The report states that the exercise simulated a crash of a plane carrying less than 20 passengers, far smaller than many of the flights that land in St. John's.
Still, the reports says there was an "insufficient number of trained and qualified firefighters to be able to do any search or rescue safely."
One of the report's six recommendations calls on the airport to quadruple its firefighter staffing complement to 12 firefighters per shift.
According to the report, the exercise also didn't include police or ambulances, even though airports are required to include both in emergency training according to Canadian Aviation Regulations. Therefore, according to the report, the scenario had the effect of "overwhelming resources."
However, according to the airport authority, St. John's Regional Fire Department, Newfoundland and Labrador Health Services, the Royal Newfoundland Constabulary, Air Canada and other stakeholders did participate in an emergency planning exercise held on Sept. 25.
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] or the consensus view of the participants of the September 2022 emergency response exercise," said Bragg.
The statement says the airport exceeds both Canadian Aviation Regulations and Airport Rescue and Firefighting Category 7 standards, which require two firefighters on staff. According to the statement, the airport staffs 16 firefighters who work shifts 24/7, year-round.
The Union of Canadian Transportation Employees, which represents firefighters at St. John's airport, declined to comment for this story.
Training for municipal firefighters
St. John's Regional Fire Department assists airport firefighters in emergency situations. But, Power says, municipal firefighters also lack essential training needed to perform rescue operations in the event of a crash.
"When they're ordered to go in, they're going into an unsafe environment and an environment that is an extremely difficult situation to handle if everything goes perfectly," he said.
CBC News asked St. John's Regional Fire Department for an interview, but Deputy Chief Ian Green provided a statement instead, saying the department responds to "mutual aid" requests from the airport in the event of an emergency.
"[St. John's Regional Fire Department] personnel would not be required to perform any tasks outside of what they are trained and certificated to perform as part of their regular duties," Green said.
Craig Smith is the president of the St. John's Fire Fighters Association, which represents St. John's Regional Fire Department firefighters. He said members have come to him with concerns over training.
"We show up, we're going to do what we're going to do. Sometimes that puts our own life at risk and our life at jeopardy. However, with significant training and proper training, we mitigate those risks," he said.
But Smith said training isn't just an issue for firefighters in St. John's.
Federal motion passed last year
The St. John's Fire Fighters Association is part of the International Association of Firefighters (IAF), which has been advocating for changes to federal aviation regulations for years.
That advocacy led to a private members' motion introduced by B.C. Liberal MP Ken Hardie, which unanimously passed in the House of Commons in December 2023.
The motion asks the house to recognize an assessment of Canada's aviation regulations by the IAF.
"Regulatory shortfalls concerning emergency responses at Canada's major airports are needlessly putting the safety of the flying public at risk," reads the motion.
According to the motion, those shortfalls include not specifying rescue as a required function of airport firefighting, and requiring firefighters to reach the midpoint of the furthest runway in three minutes rather than all points on operational runways within that time period.
Chris Bussey, another retired St. John's airport firefighter, wants Canadian aviation regulations to meet those set by the International Civil Aviation Organization.
"Canadian aviation regulations around emergency preparedness do not meet the global standards and they're 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 holding consultations on changes to federal aviation regulations.
"Safety is our top priority. We are committed to continuing to work with our national and international partners, including the International Civil Aviation Organization," said de Casanove.
De Casanove wasn't able to say when those changes would materialize.
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