Canada's airport fire rules risking passengers' lives, firefighters warn

Major Canadian airports lack sufficient resources on site to rescue passengers from inside aircraft in the event of a fire, according to firefighters who are calling on the government to upgrade domestic regulations to match international safety standards. 

The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), which sets global standards for aviation safety and is headquartered in Montreal, mandates that in an emergency, airport firefighters should rescue aircraft occupants "as quickly as possible." 

But Transport Canada tasks airport firefighting crews "with the primary responsibility of providing a fire free egress route for the evacuation passengers and crew," noting that this standard is not intended to limit first responders from providing additional services. Canadian regulations also mandate that flight attendants be trained to evacuate aircraft.

In practice, staffing levels mean that airport firefighters need to wait for reinforcements from municipal firefighters to rescue aircraft occupants, according to Philippe Gagnon, president of the Montreal Airport Firefighters Association.

"We would not be able to carry out a rescue within the timeframe required by international organizations," he said. "We would be able to put out the flames, but then we would have to wait before going inside the plane."

That wait could cost lives, he fears. "The risk of death is there."

Passenger safety 'needlessly' put at risk

The government is exploring the issue but has declined to commit to a particular outcome. 

In December the House of Commons passed a private member's motion introduced by Liberal MP Ken Hardie calling on the government to upgrade Canadian aviation regulations, warning that "significant regulatory shortfalls" were "needlessly putting the safety of the flying public at risk."

Bringing Canadian regulations up to international standards would require including rescue as well as firefighting in the mandate for firefighters at Canada's major airports; mandating a response time of no more than three minutes for fire rescue equipment to reach any point on a runway; and specifying the number of personnel required to meet fire rescue standards, according to the motion. 

After the motion passed, Transport Minister Pablo Rodriguez told the Standing Committee on Transport that the government was "studying the financial, operational and potential security implications of proposed changes to Canadian aviation regulations."

But, he wrote in the letter sent in May and seen by CBC, "at this time we cannot commit to a specific outcome" while consultations are ongoing.

Government holding consultations

Rodriguez was not initially available for comment but following publication of this story the ministry wrote to emphasize its view that Canadian airports remain safe and Canada is meeting its international obligations.

In particular, Transport Canada highlights that individual countries are responsible for implementing ICAO rules in their own fashion. Transport Canada has notified the ICAO in recent years of areas where it has pursued alternative means of compliance. 

"Safety is our top priority. We are committed to continuing to work with our national and international partners, including the International Civil Aviation Organization," Laurent de Casanove, Rodriguez's press secretary, told CBC in an email received after publication. 

"That's why we're holding consultations, and we look forward to hearing from airports, firefighters, and other safety experts during the consultation process."

Minimum standards differ

Charging airport firefighters with responsibility for rescuing occupants from inside an aircraft would necessitate higher staffing levels at many Canadian airports. 

ICAO guidelines outline minimum staffing levels needed to operate rescue equipment — 10 firefighters to operate four fire engines, for example. Aviation standards set by the U.S.-based National Fire Protection Association suggest that an airport the size of Montreal, Toronto or Vancouver should have a minimum of 15 airport firefighters on duty at all times, while one the size of Ottawa airport should have 12. 

Canadian airports meet federal minimum standards, according to airport spokespeople, but fall short of these higher international regulations.

Ottawa's airport has a minimum of four firefighters on duty, with five scheduled as a matter of course, a spokesperson said. Toronto airport has a minimum of 11 firefighters on duty, a spokesperson said. Montreal airport declined to specify its minimum staffing number, but Gagnon said five firefighters are scheduled, sometimes falling to four. 

Only Vancouver airport approaches international standards for staffing, with a spokesperson saying between 12 and 19 firefighters are on duty at any one time.

These minimum staffing levels are sufficient to operate fire engines, but entering an aircraft requires additional firefighters. In an emergency, airport fire crews call on reinforcement from municipal firefighters.

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'Our Canadian aviation system is safe'

This creates delays, according to Gagnon, who says that at Montréal-Trudeau International Airport, it can take seven to 12 minutes on average to escort municipal firefighters to an incident. 

Response times at Ottawa Macdonald-Cartier International Airport can be even slower, he said, with municipal firefighters taking up to 15 minutes to arrive on scene. An Ottawa airport spokesperson said response times vary.

A fire can consume an aircraft in far less time than these delays, according to Chris Ross, president of the Montreal Firefighters Association and a representative of the International Association of Fire Fighters. "We can talk about evacuation and rescue, but there is no more evacuation or rescue to be done" when these teams arrive on site, he said.

And municipal firefighters called to respond to an airport incident may not have completed the necessary training for such emergencies, requiring "improvisation," said Ross.

The advocacy group representing airports says there is nothing to worry about. 

"Our Canadian aviation system is safe," said Monette Pasher, president of the Canadian Airports Council.

It is "the government's responsibility to establish these regulations" and the responsibility of airports to comply, she said. 

"We're following Canadian safety regulations and safety is the backbone of all that we do."