Legislation introduced to regulate rescue training

By Firefighting in Canada  May 7, 2018  

May 7, 2018 - Oshawa MPP Jennifer French held a press conference Tuesday, May 1 to introduce her private member's bill, 58: The Brunt and Kendall Act (Ensuring Safe Firefighter and Trainee Rescue Training), 2018.

The bill implements recommendations from the coroner's inquest jury following the deaths of firefighter trainee, Adam Brunt and volunteer firefighter Gary Kendall, who died during unregulated private training procedures.

Brunt lost his life during a private safety training exercise in 2015, five years after Kendall was killed during a similar exercise with the same company.

If passed, The Brunt and Kendall Act creates a framework for regulating and licensing private trainers.

French told Fire Fighting in Canada Magazine she is proud of all the hard work that has been put into the new legislation and it is now up to the government to decide to pass the bill or not. If it is not passed this year under the current government, French is hopeful the next government will bring it forward again, adding that "this system should have been put in place a long time ago".