The Sault Ste. Marie fire chief, and former North Bay deputy chief Mike Figliola is on the hot seat today after Ontario Professional Fire Fighters Association president Rob Hyndman warns that Figliola’s comments about fire protection are dangerous and irresponsible.
“These comments are totally without basis in fact,” Hyndman said. “Properly trained fire service personnel, if adequately staffed and resourced, can, and will, save lives if they arrive on scene quickly.”
Hyndman was responding to statements made by Chief Figliola to council that “After 2 minutes in the house no one is going to get in and no one is going to get out….rescue is almost nonexistent…death has already occurred.”
Hyndman notes that the “gold standard” of public safety standards and research – the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) and National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) – state that municipalities are adequately protected if specific numbers of fire service personnel arrive within specific time frames.
Hyndman added, “Chief Figliola’s attitude seems defeatist, as though he’s given up on the thousands of families in Sault Ste. Marie who expect their fire service to arrive on scene to help save lives.”
Figliola is overseeing a restructuring of the Soo's emergency services.
"For the last several months the Ontario Professional Fire Fighters Association has watched the situation unfold in your community regarding your emergency services, specifically Fire and EMS. Unfortunately, given the lack of rational thought by your Fire Chief, we can no longer remain silent given the reckless and unsupported comments he made to city council last fall while selling his plan to slash almost 25 per cent of frontline firefighting resources in your city. On Oct. 13, Chief Mike Figliola told council: “After 2 minutes in the house no one is going to get in and no one is going to get out….rescue is almost nonexistent…death has already occurred.” This is a dangerous comment that is completely without basis in fact," says a release from the Association.
