HALIFAX – The Nova Scotia government is severing its funding ties with the province’s firefighters school, calling the results of a newly released audit of its safety and governance “appalling.”
Minister of Emergency Management Kim Masland says the audit revealed a lack of safety and accountability at the Nova Scotia Firefighters School.
The $300,000 money-for-value audit by consultant 21FSP was launched in June and stemmed from the death of firefighter Skyler Blackie during a training exercise in March 2019.
Blackie died after the bottom of a rusted extinguisher blew off as he recharged it with propellant during a certification exam at the non-profit training facility located in Waverley, N.S.
Masland says a steering committee for firefighter training will be established in the coming weeks to oversee an interim training plan for the province’s firefighters that will be ready in the fall.
The minister says a more comprehensive long-term training model will eventually be put in place, once the results of an ongoing fire services review are available.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 5, 2025.
