The Beiseker Fire Department is under some heat after concerns were raised about the department’s occupational health and safety, and training standards.
According to local reports, multiple volunteer firefighters resigned in the fall of 2023 due to safety concerns in the workplace.
Beiseker Mayor David Ledoyen said all occupational health and safety (OHS) orders were met with compliance but that he had not spoken to the Fire Chief about any of the allegations.
Concerns raised would have to be discussed with the fire department, he said, adding that while some former volunteers may leave with a negative experience, others leave with a positive one.
He could not provide further comment on the issue.
Documents obtained by local media stated that the department received three occupational health and safety (OHS) orders between 2021 and 2023 for contraventions, which they have since complied with.
Those orders included not having harassment and violence prevention procedures in the workplace, not complying with COVID-19 protocols, and not providing proper training.
Several former members reportedly alluded to a structure fire that occurred in the summer of 2022, where a new member of the department was required to respond without any formal training.
As a result, the member was exposed to a dangerous substance without donning the proper protective gear but the fire chief did not report an incident or any injuries. That member quit within a year of the incident.
Following the incident, safety procedures were reportedly implemented, but when asked for written policies and procedures for the department and its members in 2023, they were not in place.
Several former volunteer firefighters reportedly complained about a lack of safety procedures, and said a lot of training was informal and on-the-fly.
Reports also noted that oftentimes firefighters would be put in charge of tasks they were not qualified for, creating an unsafe work environment.
