Aug 2024: Sister of dead firefighter calls for safety overhaul of N.S. firefighting school

HALIFAX – The sister of a firefighter who died during a training exam at the Nova Scotia Firefighters School says the program needs an overhaul to improve its safety standards. Twenty-eight-year-old Skyler Blackie died in hospital on March 9, 2019, after a fire extinguisher he was using exploded at the school on the outskirts of Halifax. His sister, Jessica Gillis, last week launched a petition calling for reform, after the province recently told the family an audit carried out in the spring uncovered numerous safety infractions at the school. Skyler Blackie poses in this undated handout photo. The sister of […]