Olive Murwin cried when she arrived at Souls Harbour Rescue Mission on Thursday morning. The night before, the Cunard Street shelter was in flames. The building suffered extensive damage and its six residents had to evacuate. But the volunteer was crying tears of joy. What she saw that morning was an outpouring of support as […]
Fire
Posted inNews + Opinion
Fire closes CHKN Chop—for now
View this post on Instagram 🔥THE INCINERATOR🔥is this week’s special sandwich! charred chkn w/ smoking hot sauce, tomato burnt to crisp and a blackened bun. 🔥🔥🔥 Avail: today – unknown. #hotchknsandwich #chknchopdryerfire #getitwhileitshot🔥 A post shared by CHKNCHOP (@chknchop) on Feb 26, 2019 at 7:49am PST CHKN Chop (6041 North Street), the north end charcoal […]
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Electrical fault to blame for fatal fire
An electrical fault is to blame for the tragic fire that claimed the lives of a 58-year-old Lower Sackville man and his 11-year-old granddaughter. Halifax Fire and Emergency chief Ken Steubing told reporters at a news briefing Monday afternoon the fire started early Saturday morning in the duplex’s basement. Although authorities have not released the names […]
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Former firefighter reaches human rights settlement with Halifax
A former Halifax firefighter is expected to receive an apology for the gender discrimination she faced while working at a station in Herring Cove almost 20 years ago. Liane Tessier was granted a hearing from the Nova Scotia Human Rights Commission last year, after fighting for nearly a decade to have her case heard. Tessier […]
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Stop calling 911 about that smoke smell
[Image-1] Aside from all the other terrible city smells unearthed by summer’s heat (here’s to you, green bin day), HRM has been bathed in a particular musk over these past few days. Halifax Regional Fire and Emergency says the culprit is smoke from the ongoing wildfires elsewhere in Nova Scotia. That smoke is wafting its […]
Posted inNews + Opinion
Backyard burning ban voted down by regional council
[Image-1] Halifax regional council has extinguished any plans to prohibit open-air, wood burning fires in urban areas of HRM. The idea was proposed by Halifax Regional Fire and Emergency as a way to end the hundreds of nuisance 911 calls firefighters respond to every year. A staff report before council recommended bylaw amendments that would […]
Posted inNews + Opinion
Council to look at banning backyard fires in urban areas
Some summertime fun could be extinguished by new bylaw amendments that would ban open air burning in Halifax’s urban core. A staff report headed to Regional Council is recommending HRM prohibit open air burning on any residential properties that are within 50 feet of another structure and without a septic system. The proposed regulations would […]
Posted inNews + Opinion
7 reasons fire chief Doug Trussler should leave Halifax
[Image-1] On Tuesday Halifax Regional Council debated controversial fire staffing options in front of an audience packed with reporters and firefighters. In recent weeks, many have come forward in opposition to Halifax Regional Fire and Emergency’s proposal (among other changes) to put volunteers in Dartmouth’s King Street station on nights and weekends. Bowing to that […]
Posted inNews + Opinion
This city deserves better fire service
[Image-1] As this new year gets underway, the citizens of Halifax are being called to action to voice their pleasure (or displeasure, depending on their perspective) concerning the fire service in this city. The battle cry in this fight is being led by the men and women of the Halifax Professional Firefighters, who unfortunately have […]
Posted inNews + Opinion
Just how busy are the King Street station firefighters?
[Image-1] The proposal from Halifax Regional Fire and Emergency chief Doug Trussler to staff volunteers at the King Street fire station on nights and weekends has not gone without criticism. Downtown Dartmouth residents (among others in HRM) are strongly opposed to changes that they say will leave the dense urban centre vulnerable. Trussler and HRFE […]
Posted inNews + Opinion
How to be a volunteer firefighter
[Image-1] One of the problems isolated at Halifax Fire and Emergency’s operational review last week was a scarcity of volunteer firefighters in some of the municipalities rural areas. Currently there are 459 volunteer firefighters across the entire HRM, with roughly 22 percent of those in the urban core. The fire department has been trying to […]
Posted inNews + Opinion
The battle between Halifax Fire and city council
[Image-1] “A line was crossed, from our perspective.” —Phil McNulty, executive fire officer It’s been a week now since city council finally got around to debating Halifax Regional Fire and Emergency’s operational review of services. Several hours of discussion were spent flaying chief Doug Trussler’s substantial plans to close three urban fire stations and four […]