Several training shortcomings are being dealt with by Greater Sudbury Fire Services following the issuance of several Ministry of Labour orders earlier this year.
The firefighter training lapse which first caught Sudbury.com’s attention was in relation to the city’s ladder trucks.
Last month, Sudbury Professional Firefighters Association president Mike Squarzolo said, “A lack of training continues to exist on a number of fronts, and this one just happens to be the one that got pushed to the top at the time.”
Gaps in training present “a huge health and safety concern for the people expected to do the work” and for the public at large who are supposed to be provided service in a safe manner, he said at the time.
Sudbury.com later received an anonymous tip that there were several Ministry of Labour, Immigration, Training and Skills Development orders regarding city firefighters’ training, which we sought through both the ministry and city communications staff.
While ministry staff said a freedom of information request would be required, which is often a months-long process, city communications staff provided copies of the requested work orders this week.
These documents highlight the results of Ministry of Labour site visits to 194 Van Horne St. (main fire hall in downtown Sudbury) on March 3, March 14, June 6 and Aug. 21.
In addition to what the Ministry of Labour determined to be inadequate training on the city’s ladder trucks, their document cites a “work refusal process which was undertaken” on Feb. 25 at the Van Horne Street (main) station in relation to ladder truck No. 1.
Weeks later, the ladder truck was brought out of service due to a defect while members trained on the machine. The training gap had been flagged in late 2024.
Other areas of training which the Ministry of Labour issued orders for this year have included:
- Personal protective equipment care and maintenance, involving formal inspection schedules in place, improving procedures to control contamination, and setting clear rules for when gear must be replaced.
- “The employer is not taking every precaution reasonable in the circumstances to minimize or prevent exposure of workers (firefighters) to contaminants at various fire events during knockdown, overhaul, and investigations, relating to the proper use, care and storage of personal protective equipment.”
- Respiratory protection, ensuring proper fit-testing, keeping maintenance records, and confirming that all staff are trained to use self-contained breathing apparatus.
- “Workers have not been provided with adequate training and instruction on the maintenance, proper fitting, cleaning, and disinfecting of provided respirators for this workplace.”
- Decontamination procedures, which includes introducing standardized cleaning steps after incidents and improving station hygiene to reduce exposure to cancer-causing substances.
“Although many of these practices were already in place, the ministry found areas that needed improvement,” city communications staff said in a written statement provided to Sudbury.com. “We are committed to making those improvements. We are creating new protocols, assigning clear responsibilities, and launching focused training programs to help staff meet the updated requirements.”
Since the orders were issued, fire administrators have worked closely with frontline firefighters and external partners, the spokesperson said.
“We have completed updated compliance plans and are now writing detailed procedures to put those plans into action. We are delivering specialized training to key personnel who have important roles in carrying out the plans. We have identified additional resources needed and are working with council and executive leadership to secure them. Our priority is the health and safety of our firefighters.”
Sudbury.com sought insight regarding these additional Ministry of Labour orders from Squarzolo, but he declined comment due ongoing investigations being at play. He deferred to prior comments, in which he was critical of management’s commitment to training.
“It’s about dollars and cents,” Squarzolo said last month, “and training people costs money and there isn’t always a will to spend money to make sure that people are properly trained.”
Through city communications staff, Sudbury.com requested a phone interview with someone from Greater Sudbury Fire Services seeking more context regarding the Ministry of Labour orders, including their projected timeline for full compliance. A follow-up story will be published in the event the interview is granted.
Tyler Clarke covers city hall and political affairs for Sudbury.com.