Labrador City fire department won't respond to Wabush airport emergencies

The town of Labrador City says its volunteer firefighters will no longer provide services to Wabush Airport.

In a statement released late Friday, the town said it is important for the firefighters to"have the knowledge, skills and abilities, specifically focused on aircraft crashes and fire, as there are many challenges with this type of response."

The airport in Wabush has been operating without a dedicated fire department since Transport Canada ended the service in 2020.The airport didn'thave enough passengers at the time to warrant airport firefighters, Transport Canada said.

But officials in Labrador Citysaythe firefighting skills required for aircraft emergencies are unusual for volunteer firefighters to have,who may not be familiar with handling such scenes or incidents.

The town said in the release thattraining is key to keeping everyone safe, but such emergencies have "severe potential to compromise their physical and psychological health and safety."

The town says it's committed to working with Transport Canada and the Wabush Airport to find short and long-term solutions, and will continue to push for full-time fire services at the airport.

The issueresurfaced in January when the Labrador City Fire Department received a call that a plane carrying 17 passengers was preparing to make an emergency landingafter an engine failed.

The plane landed safely, but Fire Chief Joe Power said there was confusion on the ground over who was in charge.

He said at the time he'd be taking his concerns to the town council in Labrador City.

The town saysthe management team at the airport had committed to providing an emergency plan since the firefighting services were removed in 2020but saynothing has been received and no meetings have been arranged to discuss the plan.

CBC News has contactedTransport Canada for comment, but the federal department has previously said in response to Power's concerns that the Wabush airport emergency response plan is being updated and will be shared with the community when it is finalized.

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