New safety initiative to prevent firefighter deaths

CTV Kitchener: New bill to protect firefighters on Two firefighters were killed in Listowel when the roof they were on collapsed. Five years later, a private members bill is being introduced

Two volunteer firefighters died while battling a blaze at a Listowel dollar store in 2011.

Ken Rea and Ray Walter were inside the building when the roof collapsed on them.

Investigators say their deaths could have been prevented.

“Traditionally that style of building was built with a steel truss-type system,” says Ed Smith with the North Perth Fire Department. “That’s what we thought was probably in the building.”

They later learned that the building was made using lightweight construction, which can give out much quicker when compromised during a fire.

“They use a number of different components such as glue and steel to hold [it] together. They’re finding that that type of structure gives away much quicker.”

Had they known that, says Smith, they would have come up with a different plan to attack the fire.

“We definitely would have looked at things a lot different. If we had known that the roof structure in that building was of lightweight construction.”

It’s a decision which could have saved the lives of both Rea and Walter.

Smith says when crews arrive at the scene of a fire they’re not sure what to expect.

“They have to make an assessment of the situation very quickly,” says Randy Pettapiece, the MPP for Perth Wellington

A solution to the problem -- stickers. Specifically, Truss Identification Decals. They’re placed on a building to indicate the type of construction.

“You can identify that right away when you pull up to an emergency scene,” says Smith. “It is a device that is in-your-face… you’ve got a structure here that can fail.”

The idea was quickly picked up by local fire chiefs and Pettapiece.

“I thought it was such a good idea that it should be provincewide,” he says. “This allows the minister to change the regulations to the building code.”

A private member’s bill will be introduced at Queen’s Park in October.

With files from Nadia Matos