OAFC Occupational Health & Safety Training Workshop
Thank you to all of you who participated in the first ever 2013 OAFC Occupational Health & Safety Training Workshop on February 20 & 21, 2013 at the Delta Toronto East Hotel
As a first time event, we are extremely happy with the turnout of over 140 fire service personnel and the great feedback we received on the speakers and knowledge participants walked away with.
We look forward to announcing our plans for the next OAFC Occupational Health & Safety Training Workshop in 2014. We guarantee the agenda will be filled with current, need-to-know information related to OHS in the fire service.
Many of the speaker’s presentations are available. Please note that you must login to view the presentations.
For those of you who attended we would appreciate your feedback by filling out the evaluation form. This assists us in planning future events.
Thanks again to all who attended and we look forward to seeing you at the next OAFC Occupational Health & Safety Training Workshop.
Speaker & Presentation Overview
Section 21: What You Need to Know
Members of the OAFC Section 21 Committee will present the need to know, hands-on information pertaining to Section 21 and your day-to-day operations:
Section 21 Committee Overview
- Division Commander, Andrew Kostiuk with Toronto Fire Services will present an overview of the latest Section 21 activities, including the most recent updates following the committee meeting the week prior to the OAFC Occupational Health & Safety Training Workshop.
OHS Committee for Volunteer Departments
- Fire Chief Mark Pankhurst with the City of Kawartha Lakes Fire Rescue Service will discuss the importance of the Joint Occupational Health and Safety Committee for Volunteer Departments. His presentation will include an overview of what a joint health and safety committee is, what is the joint health and safety committee’s role and why joint health and safety committees are important.
Bunker Gear: More than Just a Label
- Deputy Fire Chief Mike Vilneff from the Cobourg Fire Department will provide an overview of the contents of bunker gear labels.
Transporting Bunker Gear
- Deputy Fire Chief David Cunliffe with the Hamilton Fire Department will provide an overview of the NFPA and Section 21 requirements pertaining to the transportation of Bunker Gear.
Electronic Records
- Fire Chief Denys Prevost from Welland Fire & Emergency Services will discuss Guidance Notes #7-3. Specifically, he will address the importance of keeping training records and the requirements and difference between paper versus electronic records.
Acquired Structure Guidance Notes
- Deputy Fire Chief Mike Vilneff from the Cobourg Fire Department will provide a general overview of Guidance Notes #7-5 and what should be taken into consideration if your department is contemplating Live Fire Training in Acquired Structures.
Perspectives on Compliance Obligations with the Ministry of Labour and the Office of the Fire Marshal
Trevor Bain, Executive Officer & Shayne Mintz, Assistant Deputy Fire Marshal, Office of the Fire Marshal and Karen Hanna, Manager, Special Projects (A), MOL
The Ministry of Labour and the Office of the Fire Marshal are embarking upon a joint outreach strategy to municipalities and fire service leaders to increase the awareness of legislated responsibilities mandated by provincial legislation. This joint presentation will define the initiative and provide feedback on the challenges that you face as a fire service leader.
Deconstruction of Recent MOL Charges
Fire Chief Terry Gervais, Greater Nappanee & Division Commander Andy Kostiuk, Toronto Fire Services
Andy Kostiuk and Terry Gervais are the OAFC representatives on the Section 21 Committee and during this presentation, will deconstruct some of the latest MOL charges involving the Ontario Fire Service. In the last year there have been a number of MOL charges that have received the attention of the Fire Service. Andy and Terry will look at how these charges were laid, what they were based on and what you can do as a Fire Chief to prevent similar charges. Current real case scenarios will be used as examples to truly illustrate the information.
Accountability System
Nadine Zacks, Associate Lawyer, Hicks Morley
Nadine Zacks is an Associate lawyer at Hicks Morley and currently practices in all areas of labour and employment law, with a particular focus on health and safety. Nadine provides advice and representation to employers and management on a wide range of labour and employment issues including labour disputes, grievance arbitrations, wrongful dismissals, employment standards, employment contracts, human rights and accommodation, and occupational health and safety.
This session will explore the accountabilities placed upon fire chiefs, both to council and to fire fighters, with a particular emphasis on accountabilities respecting health and safety. This session will discuss how fire chiefs can deliver upon their accountabilities and protect themselves from individual liability. Topics which will be explored include the authority of fire chiefs to deliver service, accountability and incident command systems for emergency operations, and fire fighter training.
Protecting Management from Criminal Code & OHSA Liability Arising from Workplace Accidents
Robert Little, Partner, Hicks Morley
Robert Little is a partner at Hicks Morley and has practiced exclusively in the field of management employment law since 1984. Robert has argued hundreds of cases before the courts, arbitrators, human rights tribunals, coroners and the Ontario Labour Relations Board. Robert works extensively in the occupational health and safety field. He routinely defends employers charged under the Occupational Health and Safety Act. Rob often speaks on health and safety matters and has provided training to justices of the peace on health and safety prosecutions.
The purpose of this session will be to provide an understanding of the duties and responsibilities of management under the OHSA and the Criminal Code. The internal responsibility system will be reviewed with particular focus on the obligations of supervisors and senior managers. The Bill C45 amendments to the Criminal Code and their application to management will be discussed. In addition, Rob will review the responsibility of management in joint operations such as the G8 and Pan Am Games.
The MOL Arrives: What Next?
Norm Keith, Partner, Gowlings LLP
Norman A. Keith, B.A., J.D., LL.M, CRSP, is the partner and practice leader at Gowlings LLP who leads the national practice group specializing in Occupational Health and Safety, Workers’ Compensation and Workplace Risk Management law. Mr. Keith has successfully defended more than 1,000 charges under the Ontario Occupational Health and Safety Act and related statutes and regulations.
Mr. Keith’s presentation will describe when Ministry of Labour Inspectors attend incident scenes, what the legal rights of inspectors are, what the responsibilities of employers, including Fire Departments and Fire Chiefs are, as well as the rights that both Fire Departments and individuals have when they are being investigated. Lessons learned from recent real case fire scenarios will be used throughout the presentation.
Cancer in the Fire Station
Dr. Brian E. McCarry, Chair (Acting) Department of Biology, McMaster University
Firefighting is a hazardous occupation and firefighters are routinely exposed to heat, stress and a large number of toxic chemicals, including acid gases, benzene, carbon monoxide, formaldehyde, hydrogen cyanide, oxides of nitrogen and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. Some of these compounds are known carcinogens and exposures can occur through inhalation and through the skin. This session will summarize the results of a WSIB funded research study characterizing firefighters’ exposures during training exercises.
Dr. Brian McCarry is Acting Chair of the department of Biology, McMaster Univeristy. In 2006 he became Director of the Occupational and Environmental Health Laboratory at McMaster. His research work centers on the development of trace analytical and source apportionment methods for environmental contaminants and on methods for the comprehensive profiling of metabolites in plants, microorganisms, blood and urine. Brian holds a B.Sc. degree from the University of British Columbia and a Ph.D. degree from Stanford University.
Post Traumatic Stress Disorder: What is it? What can we do about it?
Ron Mellish, M.A., RMFT, CTS
Counsellor/Consultant in Private Practice
Fire fighters today are well trained in the hard science of how to fight fires, which piece of equipment to use and when and all the other daily tasks they face. Do they ever receive training on the internal and soft science of understanding how their day to day work impacts them; physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually?
Failure to adequately address soft science issues can leave fire fighters unprepared for the incredible stressors they face in the career they love. A prepared Fire Fighter means he has received training to protect him or herself from external and internal injuries. In this presentation, we will look at occupational stress injuries on a continuum from mild to serious enough to trigger Post Traumatic Stress Disorder in fire fighters and what can be done to maintain long term health in this challenging career.
Ron Mellish has a Master’s degree in counselling, is a Clinical Fellow and Approved Supervisor in the Ontario Association for Marriage and Family Therapy (OAMFT); a Certified Trauma Specialist in the Association of Traumatic Stress Specialists (ATSS), and has twenty nine years of experience in this field. In the early 90’s, Ron was part of the multi-disciplinary committee that created and rolled out the Halton Critical Incident Stress Management Team to serve that region’s First Responders. He has lead or co-lead hundreds of interventions for First Responders, businesses, and the general public. Ron has counselled many Fire Fighters around their work related stress, including several with PTSD. He has a Private Practice in Halton and serves clients throughout the GTA.