'We cannot stop learning': Firefighters practice in Fredericton high-rise
A University of New Brunswick residence building that's been decommissioned has become a classroom for firefighters.
More than 50 firefighters from across the Maritimes are honing their high-rise fire halting tactics at the Fredericton location.
"The intent is improving our capacity to fight structural fires in mid- to high-rise buildings,” said Dave McKinley, Fredericton Deputy Fire Chief. “With the building construction of more and more of these units, it's important that our firefighters have the skills necessary.”
The experience in a real building versus a training facility adds an element of authenticity to the exercises.
"This is really probably a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity,” said Alex Hillier, who started with the Fredericton Fire Department in September. “We train often in our training facility, but to have an actual structure that we can come in and experience real life problems and troubleshoot those is a great opportunity and we're so thankful for it.”
"Now we can simulate real conditions inside of buildings they're going to be fighting fires in,” said Brent Brooks, a firefighting instructor from Toronto. “Traditionally we'd be at a training academy, it's very familiar to us, and we're kind of making things up.
“But, now we're in a real high-rise building, real doors, real windows, real floor layouts, running the same drills that we do at a training academy you cannot duplicate this kind of training.”
"Almost every building is different, sometimes you'll get the cookie cutters where all in a line they were built the same time, but every building's a little different,” McKinley said.
Brooks says firefighting is an ever-evolving industry and it's important for them to keep up with training to stay safe.
“When I started the job we didn't have hazmat, we didn't have auto extrication, we didn't have rope rescue, and tunnel rescue, the list goes on, and cars are changing, e-bikes, we have electric vehicles,” he said. “We cannot stop learning as firefighters."
For more New Brunswick news visit our dedicated provincial page.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
NDP calls out Conservatives for effort to squash pharmacare legislation
The federal New Democrats are calling out Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre and his party for trying to block the bill that could pave the way for millions of Canadians to access birth control and diabetes coverage.
Winnipeg man admits to killing four women, argues he's not criminally responsible
Defence lawyers of Jeremy Skibicki have admitted in court the accused killed four Indigenous women, but argues he is not criminally responsible for the deaths by way of mental disorder – this latest development has triggered a judge-alone trial rather than a jury trial.
Mediterranean staple may lower your risk of death from dementia, study finds
A daily spoonful of olive oil could lower your risk of dying from dementia, according to a new study by Harvard scientists.
An El Nino-less summer is coming. Here's what that could mean for Canada
As Canadians brace themselves for summer temperatures, forecasters say a weakening El Nino cycle doesn’t mean relief from the heat.
DEVELOPING Hamas accepts Gaza ceasefire proposal from Egypt and Qatar
Hamas said it has accepted a ceasefire deal proposed by Egypt and Qatar which seeks to halt the seven-month war with Israel in Gaza.
Stamp prices rise for the third time in five years amid financial woes for Canada Post
Canada Post is increasing stamp prices for the third time since 2019, a move the Crown corporation says is a "reality" of its sales-based revenue structure.
For the first time, researchers have identified a genetic form of late-in-life Alzheimer's disease
For the first time, researchers have identified a genetic form of late-in-life Alzheimer’s disease — in people who inherit two copies of a worrisome gene.
B.C. court date set for 3 accused of murdering Sikh activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar
Three suspects accused of murdering British Columbia Sikh activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar last year are scheduled to appear in court in Surrey on Tuesday.
Ontario MPP asked again to leave Ontario legislature over keffiyeh, Speaker loosens ban
An Ontario MPP was asked again to leave the Ontario legislature on Monday for wearing a keffiyeh, a garment that was banned by the Speaker last month due to its political symbolism.