Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My Member’s statement was on the inadequacy of fire equipment in the communities. Mr. Speaker, considering that the communities have inadequate community infrastructure, they need a complete overhaul. Considering the cost to upgrade them, even a fraction of southern standards is very costly. Will the government commit in replacing all inadequate equipment by the end of this government? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Jacobson. The honourable Minister of Municipal and Community Affairs, Mr. Robert McLeod.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. We appreciate the Member’s frankness when he asks a question. He just gets straight to the point. The community governments are responsible for the firefighting infrastructure. They are given the money through the capital investment and they do have the responsibility. Our department will work with the communities in identifying some of their needs and possibly help out with the cost to them and finding out where they can access some of this equipment. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Considering all the small, remote communities are most sus, sus --
Susceptible.
---Laughter
Yeah, susceptible -- through these house fires and the highest number of deaths per capita over Canada, will this government work with the local fire marshal’s office and various funding sources to develop a real capacity for each community all over the Northwest Territories, not just Nunakput? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
With the new public safety division coming onboard, that is one of their mandates. I have had commitment from the assistant fire marshals that they are more than willing to work with each community in identifying some of their needs, some of the training that they may lack. There is talk of going to more of a regional type of training so we can get more people in. So the commitment is there to work very closely with the communities.
We understand that it’s a very difficult job they have, especially in some of the smaller communities. It’s a very difficult job. So we will do our part as the department to see how we can best assist communities. Thank you.
Considering our volunteer firefighters, Mr. Speaker, are risking their lives to service and protecting our communities, will this government implement a comprehensive checklist of systems like the Minister is saying such as proper valves are functioning, breathing apparatuses, heated fire truck facilities, proper safety gear and training will be listed on the checklist? I think the best place to get the training would be down here in Yellowknife. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
We are currently conducting a community fire department capacity assessment. That’s us working with the communities and coming up with a needs analysis that will do for each community. Some of the items that the Member pointed out would be part of that. Obviously, we can’t have volunteer fire departments, especially in some of the smaller communities that are untrained and unable to operate a lot of equipment that’s expected of them. So with the new public safety division and the commitment made by the fire marshal’s office to work with each community, I think we are going to see a dramatic improvement that’s available to the communities. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. McLeod. Final supplementary, Mr. Jacobson.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. This past summer we had a fire up in Tuk, a dump fire. We had volunteers going out there, chemicals burning, breathing apparatuses were insufficient because they were cracking at the seams of the masks. Your bunker gear, it’s just right worn out. I know that he’s saying it’s the responsibility of the community, but I think the fire marshal’s office... It’s been nine months I’ve been asking this to happen. Should it take nine months for a person to jump on a plane and hit the communities and go check? Mr. Speaker, all I’m asking is the government try to commit extra dollars for the communities to get proper breathing apparatuses and bunker gear for the safety of the firefighters in harm’s way. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
My understanding is there were a couple of members of the public safety division office up in Tuk just recently. We’ll continue to work with the communities to identify their needs. If they have equipment that needs replacing, as I stated earlier, we will work with the community in trying to identify the best places.
There’s also, and I saw it firsthand at a public meeting that I went to amongst the Beaufort leaders, where one community had offered equipment to another community free of charge. So there’s that opportunity there. It’s just equipment that they had a surplus of and they felt one of the smaller communities could use it, so they donated it to the community. So there are many different ways that...
Thank you, Mr. McLeod. The honourable Member for Frame Lake, Ms. Bisaro.
