FireWise Consulting was started in 2008. The principals in the company were aware of the 2004 Judgement of Inquiry looked into the line of duty death of a paid-on-call firefighter in Clearwater, B.C.. The inquiry made three recommendations. The most significant recommendation was that every fire department in the province of B.C. should be audited to comply with safety standards, best practices, equipment, and maintenance.
At this point, FireWise Consulting became involved in audits of fire departments on request. In the following years FireWise Consulting conducted more than 150 audits and inspections in B.C. and Alberta. The audits and inspections were not punitive. They were status reports of where fire departments were standing in compliance with the safety of the firefighters.
The status reports made recommendations creating a roadmap for fire departments and their governing bodies to improve.
FireWise Consulting’s Ernie Polsom believes local governments need to step up to the plate on funding, and all the relevant public safety agencies need to face funding issues, WorksafeBC issues, occupational health and safety regulations and priorities. FireWise pointed out to the fire departments the necessity of interacting with jurisdictional authorities. “It is a team effort with assigned responsibilities and duties to meet the duty of care and standard of care obligations,” says Polsom
"Our main concerns are always the duty of care standards that must be met according to established service levels employed by the local Authority Having Jurisdiction (AHJ).”
