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Cambay not going up in flames

Deputy fire marshal: “I had no concerns with the safety of the community”

JOHN THOMPSON

There’s much smoke but little heat found in allegations that Cambridge Bay’s buildings pose serious fire risks, according to Nunavut’s deputy fire marshal.

Tim Hinds said he’s satisfied with the hamlet of Cambridge Bay’s efforts to fix faulty safety equipment when it’s discovered.

“I had no concerns with the safety of the community,” he said.

In early March, Cambridge Bay’s fire chief, Peter Laube, went public with a long list of safety concerns that included faulty smoke alarms, broken sprinkler systems and emergency exits that don’t open.

Two weeks later, Hinds visited Cambridge Bay to investigate these concerns. But rather than finding the “disaster” described by Laube, he said most problems had already been fixed, or were on a to-do list for future repairs.

“I was satisfied that items that Peter (Laube) identified as safety issues were fixed, or being worked on,” Hinds said.

The Government of Nunavut pays hamlets such as Cambridge Bay to maintain buildings and keep them up to fire safety codes.

Laube has since resigned from his position, citing irreconcilable conflicts with the hamlet’s senior administrative officer, Mark Calliou.

Calliou had been on duty travel when news of the fire safety allegations hit. He and Cambridge Bay’s mayor, Michelle Gillis, both continue to be tightlipped with any details of the “action plan” and “time-line” developed to deal with fire safety issues.

In an email, Calliou said he would not comment further, “so we can concentrate on the issues of the community in the community and not deal with people that are from other regions and may not know what the issues are and who the players and their personal issues might be.”

But Hinds, who met with hamlet officials during his visit, approves of their plans for future repairs.

“They have an action plan that’s workable, that’s reasonable,” he said.

Those plans include fixing the leaking roof of the hamlet’s fire hall this year, which has caused drywall to rot and lights to short out inside the building.

Some problems mentioned by Laube belong to history, according to Hinds.

For example, one gadget used to prevent fires is called an autodialler, which automatically calls the fire department in the event of a fire. Laube warned many in Cambridge Bay were broken, or their phone lines had been disconnected.

But when Hinds inspected, he said he could only find one broken autodialler, and it was on a list to be repaired.

“They had been dealt with at the time, and were not a concern as of March,” Hinds said.

In addition, Hinds said some buildings had autodiallers although they weren’t required under the building code. “They’ve gone above and beyond,” he said.

Another dramatic example provided by Laube described how the water pump in the old nursing station, used to provide water to the sprinkler system, was lying in rusty pieces on the building’s floor.

“That was an incident four years ago. It was repaired at the time,” Hinds said.

Laube reported that aging fuel tanks in town were leaking and could rupture. Hinds said several tanks did leak, but said this was a common problem and none needed immediate repair.

“Every once in a while, you find a slow leak,” he said.

After announcing his resignation, Laube alleged that he had been told by Calliou that firefighters were not allowed to respond to fires at the airport.

According to Hinds, the issue in dispute was what side of the fence surrounding the airport the fire fighters should park on, not whether they should respond to aircraft emergency calls.

Hinds added there are no regulations that require Cambridge Bay’s hamlet staff to respond to aircraft emergency calls.

Other allegations, such as the handles of the school’s emergency doors being removed, were difficult to back up, with conflicting testimonies from other hamlet staff and little written paperwork, said Hinds.

Despite the fact that Hinds’ findings largely vindicate the hamlet’s administration, which Laube alleged had neglected fire safety concerns for years, Hinds said he was glad the concerns were brought forward.

“Peter had good concerns, and they were valid. But they had been dealt with,” he said. “You won’t go anywhere without finding safety concerns,” he added. “That’s our job.”

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