February 23, 2010

The Hon. Vic Toews
Minister of Public Safety
House of Commons
Ottawa ON K1A 0A6

Dear Minister Toews,

Congratulations on your recent appointment as Minister of Public Safety. I know that the best interests and the safety and security of Canadians will serve as your guide as you undertake this important responsibility.

The International Association of Fire Fighters (IAFF) represents close to 300,000 full-time professional fire fighters in North America, including 21,000 professional fire fighters across eight provinces and two territories in Canada. Headquartered in Washington, D.C. with a Canadian Office in downtown Ottawa, the IAFF is the North American leader in public and fire fighter safety.

Professional fire fighters, stationed strategically in Canadian cities large and small, protect more than 80 per cent of the nation’s population and infrastructure and are first on scene in virtually any kind of emergency. Whether it’s a structure fire, a situation requiring rescue or extrication, a hazardous materials accident or a medical emergency, professional fire fighters are on scene within minutes. Fire fighters are Canada’s first line of defense, and a part of the nation’s critical infrastructure.

The IAFF believes that too often in Canada, the debate about public safety is too often focused on crime, for example drugs, gangs and guns. While these are legitimate problems in our society that deserve to be addressed by all levels of government, the need for adequate fire protection and the need to support of the nation’s fire fighters remains critical. Though most fire fighters are municipally employed, there are roles that each level of government must play in order to achieve these important goals.

For example, as you may be aware, the IAFF has partnered very successfully with the Government of Canada through the Department of Public Safety on a groundbreaking initiative to deliver the IAFF’s Canadian Hazardous Materials Training Initiative to first responders.

This program was made possible with the announcement in 2007 of a federal government contribution of up to $2.5 million over five years to provide direct delivery of the IAFF Hazardous Materials for First Responders training program in municipalities across Canada. Through this partnership between the government of Canada and the IAFF, professional and volunteer fire fighters, as well as other first responders such as police officers and paramedics, can receive this critically-needed training at no cost to the municipality.

In 2009, a total of 2,760 contact hours were delivered to 115 students in five classes in the first nine months of the program alone. More than 20 classes representing 600 students 12,000 teaching hours are scheduled so far in 2010, and numerous other fire departments have expressed interest in the program.

In addition to numbers that show that this much-needed training is getting out to fire fighters across Canada, a recent review notes the excellent feedback the program is getting from participants. Post-course assessments show that virtually all participants felt the training was useful, well taught and covered the skills they need in the course of their duties.

This partnership, which we understand is the first of its kind between the Government of Canada and an organization such as ours, was designed to complement other Government of Canada initiatives in this area and over five years will enable thousands more first responders across Canada to respond to haz-mat and CBRN incidents safely and effectively. That means millions more Canadians will be protected from the aftermath of haz-mat and CBRN incidents, whether they are caused by an accident, a natural disaster or a deliberate act such as terrorism.

It is also an excellent example of the role your department can play in public and fire fighter safety and we hope that this critically-important program can count on your support in future years.

As you are aware, the IAFF has a federal legislative program in Canada and conducts an annual legislative conference, during which more than 130 of our local leaders from across the nation come to Ottawa to meet with their members of parliament to discuss issues of importance to Canada’s professional fire fighters.

The IAFF’s 17^th Canadian Legislative Conference takes place April 25 to 28, 2010 at the Delta Ottawa Hotel. We would be honoured if you as Minister of Public Safety would make a brief address to our delegates on the morning of Monday, April 26. Please advise the IAFF Canadian Office if you are able to take time out of your busy schedule to speak to us, we appreciate any consideration you give to this request.

I have enclosed the legislative fact sheets for the five legislative issues we are bringing forward this year; some are in the jurisdiction of the Department of Public Safety while others are more directly focused at other federal departments such as Industry Canada; however I believe it is appropriate for you to be aware of all of the issues that are important to Canada’s professional fire fighters.

I wish to comment briefly here on a couple of these issues; beginning with our top legislative priority, which is the need to establish a national Public Safety Officer Compensation (PSOC) benefit in Canada. As the enclosed fact sheet illustrates, this item is long overdue in Canada and the IAFF respectfully rejects the argument that it would not be in the federal government’s jurisdiction to establish such a benefit.

We believe that when a fire fighter is killed or permanently disabled in the line of duty, that sacrifice is made on behalf of all Canadians, and that the financial security and dignity of that fire fighter’s family should not depend on the uncertainties of collective bargaining or the province or city in which they live. We believe the establishment of a national PSOC benefit in the amount of $300,000 and in the form of a direct payment to the surviving family is the right thing for the federal government to do.

The IAFF position on the need to establish a national office for fire service statistics is a reaction to the fact that unlike crime and justice, there is virtually nothing available in terms of reliable, comprehensive and up-to-date statistics on any aspect of the Canadian fire service or on important fire protection issues.

A national office with the responsibility of collecting, analyzing and reporting annual fire service statistics would assist public safety stakeholders such as fire fighters, government agencies and the public by enabling them to identify emerging trends and direct critical fire protection and other emergency response resources where they are needed most. While directed at Industry Canada, which is responsible for Statistics Canada, the IAFF believes that Public Safety Canada is a stakeholder in this issue.

Additionally, the IAFF is introducing a new legislative issue in 2010; the need to ensure fire fighters are included in the first groups to be eligible for available vaccines and antivirals during an influenza pandemic. A fact sheet on this important issue is enclosed.

As we saw during the recent H1N1 pandemic, virtually all pandemic planning at the federal level in Canada has been the responsibility of health officials, at Health Canada and more specifically at the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC). The PHAC’s recommended guidance on vaccine sequencing prioritizes healthcare workers among other groups but places fire fighters in the same category as the general public .

We believe this is a major oversight, because independent risk analysis indicates that 25 to 30 per cent of fire fighters could be unavailable for duty during the height of a moderate influenza pandemic due to illness unless active measures are taken to ensure that fire fighters are protected as quickly and effectively as possible. With this level of absenteeism, a fire department cannot properly provide the critical lifesaving services such as fire suppression, rescue and medical response that the Canadian public expects and deserves. The results of this rate of absenteeism in fire departments during a pandemic could be catastrophic.

I note that in the United States, the Department of Homeland Security was integrally involved in that nation’s pandemic planning, and they correctly recognized that America’s fire fighters and other emergency responders are part of their critical infrastructure and need to be protected during the height of an influenza pandemic, not just its healthcare infrastructure and its workers. Many other countries such as Germany followed this model.

The IAFF believes that in the name of public safety, Canada’s Department of Public Safety must identify itself as a stakeholder in this issue and ensure that all fire fighters across Canada are protected during an influenza pandemic in order to ensure that they in turn are available to protect Canadians.

Please to take time to review the enclosed IAFF fact sheets, and do not hesitate to contact the IAFF Canadian Office if you have any questions. I hope you will not hesitate to contact the IAFF anytime we can be of assistance to you in your role as Canada’s Minister of Public Safety or if you have questions about any other issues related to fire fighter and public safety.

Congratulations again on your appointment as Public Safety Minister. I look forward to your response to our request to speak at the IAFF 17^th Canadian Legislative Conference April 26 in Ottawa; in the meantime I wish you the best of luck with your duties.

Sincerely yours,

Jim Lee
Assistant to the General President for Canadian Operations