St. Catharines Fire Services awarded nearly $50K to support cancer prevention initiatives

St. Catharines Fire Services will receive just shy of $50,000 through the first year of Ontario’s new Fire Protection Grant to support cancer prevention initiatives and enhance firefighter safety. The funding is part of a historic three-year, $30-million program announced in the 2024 Budget to prioritize firefighter health and safety.

“Protecting the health and safety of our firefighters while they protect our community is a top priority for St. Catharines Fire Services,” Deputy Fire Chief Andrea DeJong said. “This provincial funding gives us the tools to help reduce our firefighters’ exposure to the harmful long-term effects of fire-related contaminants and chemicals.”

Firefighters face a greater risk of developing health problems because of exposure to hazardous chemicals and die of cancer at a rate up to four times higher than the general population. In Canada, 50 to 60 firefighters die of cancer every year and half of those are from Ontario.

Grant funding will support St. Catharines Fire Services to purchase specialized washing and drying equipment to decontaminate bunker gear that firefighters wear into fires to reduce the long-term effects of exposure to fire-related contaminants and chemicals.

St. Catharines Fire Services has partnered with Niagara Regional Police Service and Niagara Parks Police Service to purchase the new emergency call-handling solution technology called Next Generation 911 (NG911) required by the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) that replaces the old 911 system. The third round of Ontario government funding will continue to support the upgrade process.

The initial phase of NG911 will allow communicators to receive and respond to texts with future phases allowing photos and videos to be shared as callers experience emergencies. The second phase of NG911 will be upgraded GIS mapping to allow for enhanced location specifics.

In August, Solicitor General Michael Kerzner visited St. Catharines Fire Services to see the new NG911 equipment in action and review the specialized decontamination washers at St. Catharines Fire Station 4.

“Thanks to the province for its continued support of making NG911 a reality not just for St. Catharines, but all of our 27 dispatch partners,” Deputy Fire Chief Andrea DeJong said. “Your funding and support have made this next-level technology possible.”