IAFF CANADA 2007 LEGISLATIVE FACT SHEET

National Hazardous Materials
and CBRN Response Training

Background

Whether it’s a biological or chemical agent, or an explosive, radiological or nuclear device such as a “dirty bomb,” the frightening reality is that Canada is not immune to the threat of terrorism. In addition, it is now publicly known that deadly chemicals, radiological materials and dangerous biological agents such as anthrax are being transported on city streets every day.

While the International Association of Fire Fighters has advocated improved major disaster response training for Canadian first responders since before the events of September 11, 2001, an intense national focus on disaster mitigation came into being as a result of that fateful day. Also illustrated on 9-11-01 was the fact that it is fire fighters, not military personnel, who are a nation’s first line of defense against any emergency large or small, whether man-made or the result of a natural disaster.

Military officials acknowledge that the military-based teams that are trained to respond to terrorist incidents are hours, if not days, from deployment, while fire fighters are on scene in minutes. They are a nation’s domestic defenders. But what if they are not adequately trained to respond to an emergency of a chemical, biological, radiological or nuclear (CBRN) nature?

A survey of Canada’s professional fire fighters conducted by the IAFF in early 2005 revealed the shocking truth: not only is CBRN response training non-existent in a vast majority of Canadian cities, but many professional fire fighters also lack the ability to respond safely and effectively to even the most basic hazardous materials incidents.

The IAFF survey indicated that only 19 per cent of Canadian affiliates have the training and equipment necessary to respond to a CBRN incident in their city. A shocking 75 per cent have little or in fact no CBRN response training at all. And that means millions of Canadians remain vulnerable to the potentially-devastating aftermath of these kinds of attacks.

The federal government is ultimately responsible for protecting Canadians from the aftermath of terrorist attacks, and in the wake of 9-11-01, hundreds of millions were allocated toward initiatives designed to improve disaster mitigation and emergency response. Some first responders, including fire fighters, have been trained at the federal government’s Canada Emergency Preparedness College in Ottawa. Still, only a relative handful of first responders have been trained by the federal government or anyone else.

The federal government’s failure to adequately address first responder training at the federal level is well documented. A March, 2004 report of the Senate Committee on National Security reads like a recipe for disaster – federal agencies ignoring the needs of municipalities and first responders, local caches of emergency supplies unknown to local authorities and provincial governments gobbling up emergency preparedness funds intended for municipalities.

The April, 2005 Report of Canada’s Auditor General painted an equally grim picture, outlining a multitude of serious logistical and other problems with the existing approach to CBRN training for first responders.

Meanwhile, actual CBRN incidents that have occurred in Canadian cities illustrate the urgent need for this training. In March 2005, a van transporting anthrax and other viral agents to a research centre was involved in a serious traffic accident in downtown Winnipeg, causing serious alarm in the city until emergency crews were able to verify that the deadly packages had not ruptured. This incident mirrored a May, 2003 situation in Guelph, Ont., where a van carrying six cases of radioactive materials was involved in a traffic accident at an intersection and overturned.

These incidents demonstrated that biological and radiological materials are being transported on our city streets, and that accidents involving these materials do in fact happen, anytime and anywhere.

In the case of the Guelph accident, none of the fire fighters who rushed to the scene had received any radiological or other CBRN response training at all. Fortunately, none of the materials leaked, otherwise the situation could have been deadly for fire fighters and members of the public. What is just as shocking is that in 2007, four years after this incident, Guelph fire fighters have still not received any radiological or other CBRN response training. In 2004, the Guelph Fire Department requested CBRN training for fire fighters through the federal government, but the request was denied.

While this is an alarming scenario, there is a cost-effective solution to the issue of first responder CBRN and hazardous materials response training in Canada. The IAFF Hazardous Materials Training for First Responders Program and Emergency Response to Terrorism Operations Programs have successfully trained tens of thousands of first responders in the U.S. to a recognized level of response.

But because the funding for these programs comes from the U.S. government, Canadian first responders are prevented from receiving this urgently-needed training. IAFF analysis shows that annual funding of just $500,000 would train 1,667 first responders a year. Because they are train-the-trainer programs, the effects of the training are multiplied as participants deliver the course to first responders in their home community.

The $500,000 annual funding proposal represents a tiny fraction of the money the federal government has earmarked for enhancing national security. And because the curriculum and administration for these IAFF programs are already in place, virtually 100 per cent of funding would go directly toward instruction.

Hazardous materials response training for Canadian fire fighters and other first responders is the subject of a private member’s motion currently before parliament. M-168, introduced by New Democratic Party MP Charlie Angus (Timmins-James Bay, Ont.), states:

M-168 – May 9, 2006 – That, in the opinion of the House, the government should make provisions for hazardous materials training and the availability of equipment for local fire departments across the country in order to ensure the safety of our firefighters and our citizens in the event of a public emergency of this nature.

IAFF Position

The IAFF calls on the federal government to take its responsibility to protect Canadians seriously and immediately provide funding to enable Canadian first responders to participate in the IAFF Hazardous Material Training for First Responders Program and the IAFF Emergency Response to Terrorism Operations Program. The IAFF encourages support for M-168 and any other legislative or bureaucratic measure that will help achieve this goal.

IAFF Arguments

• Millions of Canadians are still not adequately protected from the aftermath of a terrorist attack.

• It is not the military but fire fighters who are first on scene in the event of a terrorist attack.

• The Canadian government could quickly and significantly enhance the nation’s ability to protect itself from the aftermath of terrorist attacks by funding the IAFF programs

• The $500,000 in annual funding that would enable train-the-trainer sessions across Canada is just a tiny fraction of federal funds already allocated toward first responder training

• Because the IAFF programs’ curriculum and administration are already in place, virtually 100 per cent of any funding would go toward actual instruction

Current Status

More than five years have passed since the events of 9-11-01, and millions of Canadians are still vulnerable to the aftermath of a CBRN or Haz-Mat incident because too few fire fighters and other first responders have received adequate response training. The need for the federal government to recognize its responsibility and provide this training is urgent, and the IAFF programs present a proven and cost-effective method of achieving this goal.

For more information about this issue or any other issue affecting Canada’s professional fire fighters, visit www.iaff.org/canada or contact the IAFF Canadian Office at (613) 567-8988. The International Association of Fire Fighters represents 280,000 professional fire fighters in North America, including 20,000 in Canada. The IAFF is affiliated with the AFL-CIO and the Canadian Labour Congress.