Nova Scotia Fire Academy was ordered to pay $ 102,000 in fines and scholarships after pleading guilty to the death of Truro firefighter Skyler Blackie.
He died at the hospital after the fire extinguisher he was using in training at Waverley School exploded in March 2019.
The School admitted that they did not conduct regular inspections of its fire extinguishers as required by law.
Investigators discovered the broken fire extinguisher, which was donated to the school by the old refinery. Imperial Oil of Dartmouth, was prominently rusted and would have been discarded if annual inspection had taken place.
The School does not conduct annual visual inspections and pressure tests that should take place every 12 years.
The fire extinguisher exploded in the hands of Skyler Blackie as he prepares to put out the propane fire during the skill test. The top of the fire extinguisher dropped and hit him in the face. He died after 11 days in hospital.
A family destroyed
The court heard the sad statements of the mother, father, widow, brother and sister of Skyler Blackie.They described how hard it was to live without him.
His brother, Errison Blackie, is also a firefighter in the Truro Fire Department. He came to court, wearing a uniform, to say how guilty he was of fulfilling his brother’s dream.
His father, Blaine Blackiesays she cannot forgive the school for ignoring safety rules that led to her son’s death.
judge to teach
The Nova Scotia Fire Academy will give three taped presentations to fire-fighting organizations about the accident and how to prevent it.
He will also pay a $ 20,000 fine, a victim surcharge of $ 3,000 and $ 80,000 to Nova Scotia volunteer firefighters bursaries to receive school training.
The judge said the sum did not represent the value of the life of Skyler Blackiebut he hopes the figure will grab the public’s attention and serve as a reminder of the importance of following safety laws.
The School did not comment on the judgment.
With information from Jack Julian ng CBC
Source: Radio-Canada
