IAFF affiliates in Nova Scotia are optimistic that a recent commitment by the provincial government will resolve longstanding issues with the province’s fire service that have affected fire fighter and public safety for decades.
On Oct. 1, Nova Scotia Emergency Management Minister Kim Masland announced Bill 158, the Fire Safety and Services Act. The bill establishes a framework to improve multiple aspects of the province’s fire services, including governance and legislation; fire dispatch and communications; training and certification standards; fire fighter health, safety and wellness; and sustainable funding.
The legislation outlines a consultation process that will shape reforms to the province’s fire services, with final legislation to be introduced by Sept. 30, 2026.
The announcement reflects years of advocacy by IAFF affiliates in the province and by the family of Skyler Blackie, a Truro Local 1627 member who died in a tragic accident at the Nova Scotia Firefighters School in 2019.
We’re optimistic that this government has demonstrated a commitment to fire fighters in our province, and we look forward to collaborating in order to get meaningful legislation in place.
APPFFA President Joe triff
Joe Triff, president of the Atlantic Provinces Professional Fire Fighters Association (APPFFA), joined Masland for the bill’s announcement, along with Halifax Local 268 President Brendan Meagher, APPFFA Vice President for Nova Scotia Mike Sears and members of the Blackie family.
Triff says the initiative could finally bring long-overdue improvements to how fire services are governed and operated across the province, home to just over one million people.
“We’re optimistic that this government has demonstrated a commitment to fire fighters in our province, and we look forward to collaborating in order to get meaningful legislation in place,” Triff said.
For decades, Nova Scotia’s career and volunteer fire departments have been hampered by staffing shortages, health and safety shortfalls and the absence of common training standards.
The Blackie family has been the backbone of this campaign since it began. Our Local was in full support, demanding accountability and transparency out of the Nova Scotia Firefighters School. I know we will keep working with the Nova Scotia Government, the Blackie family and the other Nova Scotia IAFF Locals to push for positive change.
Truro Local 1627 President Tom Malone
Also contributing to the call for change was a scathing value-for-money audit of the Nova Scotia Firefighters School conducted by the province. Released in August, the audit found serious safety issues with the school, including unaddressed deficiencies, a breakdown in safety accountability, an inadequate governance model, failure to conduct strategic planning and an erosion of public trust. The province subsequently cut ties with the school.
On March 9, 2019, Blackie was struck in the head after a faulty fire extinguisher that had been donated to the school blew apart during a recertification test. He died in hospital 11 days later at the age of 28, leaving behind a wife, his parents, and two siblings. More than 2,000 people attended his funeral.
Truro Local 1627 President Tom Malone said that while the initiative is in its early stages, his members and the Blackie family are pleased to see that their advocacy for a safer fire service has resulted in action, noting that issues like governance, consistency in fire response, fire fighter health and well-being and access to safe training and certification touch all aspects of the fire service.
“The Blackie family has been the backbone of this campaign since it began. Our Local was in full support, demanding accountability and transparency out of the Nova Scotia Firefighters School,” he said. “I know we will keep working with the Nova Scotia Government, the Blackie family and the other Nova Scotia IAFF Locals to push for positive change.”
The IAFF represents 695 members in four municipal Locals across Nova Scotia – Halifax Local 268, Cape Breton Local 2779, Truro Local 1627 and Yarmouth Local 2094.
