Helping Edmonton’s homeless a top priority in 2023, says fire chief

Aftermath of Dec. 13, 2022 encampment fire at 105A Ave. and 96 St. (Credit: Edmonton Police Service)

Posted December 21, 2022 4:50 pm.

Edmonton’s fire chief says helping the homeless is a top priority going into the new year.

There’s an estimated 2,800 homeless people in Edmonton, with more than 800 living in encampments.

In a year-end interview with CityNews, Fire Chief Joe Zatylny says Edmonton Fire Rescue Services has responded to fire-related calls in encampments 65 times in 2022. Five of those calls resulted in fatalities.

“We know people need to stay warm, they need light to see, and be safe, and they need to cook and eat,” he said.

There were another eight fire-related deaths in Edmonton this year, and 71 fire-related injuries as of Nov. 30.

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Zatylny says calls to encampments can be difficult for crews.

“These can often include propane bottles, different types of material being burnt, difficulty accessing these locations,” said the city’s fire chief.

“Making sure we are providing dignity and respect for those experiencing homelessness or addictions and everything else that comes with that complex situation, so it’s become a very new challenge for a firefighter today. And they’ve had to be innovative and very thoughtful on how they approach situations.”

And with extreme cold this winter, it provides extra challenges.

“When you’re flowing out water in the cold, you can imagine the complexities with that,” said Zatylny. “But you’re dealing with people who are trying to stay warm, and so more than ever, working closely with our partnering agencies, and making sure they can get to shelters, and be supported and get out of the cold.”

Aftermath of Dec. 13, 2022 encampment fire at 105A Ave. and 96 St. (Photo Courtesy: Edmonton Police Service)

Zatylny says EFRS will be joining the new Health Streets Operation Centre in 2023. Its goal is to engage with the community and address the issues associated with homelessness.

Last week HSOC was first on scene when a propane tank exploded, according to EPS.

“It puts us all in the same room, it puts a focus on data sharing and developing stronger strategies, and it puts us into the community, helping the community directly,” said Zatylny. “We need to get a better understanding of what is happening and look at what strategies and resources are going to result in better outcomes at the end of the day.”

WATCH: Edmonton’s fire chief says encampment fire are a top concern

Leading cause of fires: arson

Edmonton fire crews were kept busy overall this year.

As of Nov. 30, crews have responded to 72,000 fire calls. The department says it’s on track to see 78,000 calls by the end of the year.

That would represent a 16 per cent increase from the 67,000 fire calls in 2021.

The leading cause of fires in Edmonton for 2022 was arson.

As of Nov. 30, EFRS responded to 1,544 fires that were deliberately set – up from 971 incidents the year before. Those blazes resulted in an estimated $32 million in damages.

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“It’s difficult to actually catch and prove intent and be able to track that down, so we work even closer with EPS, as arson falls under Criminal Code and is addressed by EPS,” said Zatylny. “So we created stronger pathways and worked more closely with them so we can address this issue.”

At the same time, firefighters saw fewer preventable fires from smoking and cooking,

In 2021, EFRS responded to 143 cooking-related fires. That number dropped slightly this year to 123. Smoking material and improperly discarded cigarette fires also saw a drop from 142 fires in 2021 to 96 this year.

Decrease in Alberta Avenue house fires

Zatylny was pleased to see a decrease in house fires in the Alberta Avenue area in north central Edmonton.

It was a problem area last year. In response, the Community Property Safety Team was launched in April to address the worsening problem of fires occurring in vacant properties.

Zatylny says 177 problem properties were identified by the team. So far 55 have been cleaned up and secured, and 22 have been demolished in the neighbourhoods of Alberta Avenue, Delton, Eastwood, Elmwood Park, Parkdale and Westwood.

In 2021, there were 132 fires in the area, but dropped down significantly in 2022.

“As a result, we have only seen 13 fire calls in that area, which is significantly down,” said Zatylny.

Edmonton police charged one man in June for a string of arsons in the Alberta Avenue area following their investigation into 44 fires that investigators believe were all related.

WATCH: Charges laid against ‘prime suspect’ in rash of Edmonton arsons

Attracting more women, gender-diverse firefighters

Meanwhile firefighting is a primarily male-dominated career, but EFRS is hoping to attract women and gender-diverse individuals.

Edmonton Fire has just 12 female firefighters joining a team of hundreds of men. In the last two years, EFRS saw an increase from 0.8 per cent to 1.2 per cent for women working on the front lines.

“If you don’t see yourself in the service, you might not know there is a place for you in the service and we want to fix that,” said the fire chief.

The service has tried outreach programs like camps for those interested. Camp Inspire is a three-day camp that encourages women and gender minorities from all backgrounds to experience and learn firefighting skills first-hand.

Chief Zatylny says they have seen six times the applications of women going through the recruit process since Camp Inspire began.

“Which is a significant improvement and outcome,” he said.

But Edmonton Fire accepted only two new female recruits in 2022.

“That is actually good growth when you consider the numbers you start with, but we have a long way to go,” said Zatylny.

“We’re expecting to see more of the best candidates from more diverse groups, and we are expecting more diversity through the process.”

Breaking mental health barriers

Zatylny says EFRS is also working toward breaking down the barriers surrounding mental health and making advancements with mental-health programming.

“We created an app that makes it easier for our staff to access resources, treatment training, and help so we are very excited with how that has caught on, and we continue to advance that. So at your fingertips, if you need help, you can quickly call someone or activate a system.

“We’re breaking down those barriers, and the more programs you have, the more barriers you break down which is great, and you get more conversations, and more people opening up.

“We also know that first responders, they’re strong, they put on the face they need to put on, but they can be hurting, so when they ask for help we need to be ready to give it to them.”

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