Bedford ammunition depot firefighters get more support
Magazine Hill depot littered with ammunition remnants that could cause future fires, union president says
Support to keep firefighters on duty 24/7 at the Magazine Hill ammunitions depot is growing.
On Thursday, city firefighters, local politicians, Halifax and DND officials met in Bedford to express concerns about a DND review they fear will reduce fire services at the facility.
"The last time this place caught on fire in 1945, it destroyed buildings in downtown Halifax and broke windows right across the city, so that's what we're dealing with here," said DND firefighter Yves Bourgoin.
Today, Bourgoin brought his three-year-old son to reinforce his view that cutbacks will place families in the area at risk.
Chris Wagner, president of the DND firefighters' union, said the 1945 explosion not only leveled properties, but also spread ammunition remnants all over the property.
"We found 1500-pound ammunition on Anderson Lake from that explosion that was thrown through the air a kilometre-and-a-half away," he said. "This entire area is covered with munition."
Wagner said to retrieve the remnants, they can only dig 18 inches at a time because of the concern about what's buried in it. He said contractors aren't even permitted to bring lighters into the depot. Crews must also keep lawnmower fuel off the property and refill their equipment off site.
Currently, there are five full-time, specially-trained DND firefighters on site 24/7. The union says those firefighters are essential.
The president of the firefighters union in Halifax says his members would be unable to fill those positions in the event of cuts.
"We don't have the resources nor do we have the personnel, the training or the ability to respond into a facility such as the magazine in a timely manner," said Jim Gates.
He said relying on Halifax firefighters from nearby Burnside and Bedford is no guarantee because of a longer response time, not to mention they may be on another call.
Liberal, NDP MPs weigh in
In an email to CBC, Department of National Defence spokesman Lieutenant-Commander Bruno Tremblay said the facility has been modernized in past years "and it's time to have experts come in an see what level of fire protection is required based on modern and responsible safety rules and regulations."
Lauren Armstrong, press secretary for DND minister Jason Kenney, said talks of cuts are premature.
"Canadian Forces Fire Marshal staff are conducting a routine fire risk assessment of CFAD Bedford. Any claims about a pre-conceived intent to eliminate or reduce emergency services are patently false," Armstrong said.
Firefighters worry potential cuts focus too much on saving money, instead of saving lives.
"Fire protection is a half of a percent of the actual cost of the amount of ammunition here and the inherent danger if there were a fire and an explosion to follow and another explosion to follow that what we do here to stop that would be well worth the money spent," Wagner said.
Both Liberal MP Geoff Regan and NDP MP Peter Stoffer stood together to support the status quo.
"Trying to save money on the backs of safety in this particular area, we think, is absolutely wrong and the wrong way to go," said Stoffer.
Tremblay said fire risk assessment is "part of a responsible management approach," adding a decision has not yet been made.
"Any course of action will be fully compliant … to ensure the safety of everyone working at CFAD Bedford as well as those living in the surrounding areas."
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