Five Ottawa firefighters were forced to jump for their lives from the third floor of a burning building in February 2007, partly because there weren't enough personnel to deploy the only available ladder long enough to reach them, an Ontario Ministry of Labour report has found.

Three of those firefighters were injured in the Feb. 12 blaze on Forward Avenue last year, including Lieut. John Chatterton, who suffered a broken femur, broken fingers, compound fractures to his arm and elbow, cracked ribs and second-degree burns.

The ministry's six-page report found the ladder truck used that day was not equipped with a 10-metre ladder designed for third-floor heights, and there were not enough firefighters on scene to operate the available 15-metre ladder.

In addition, training records did not show the department had reviewed its operating instructions for the ladders with firefighters.

"It was uncertain if these documents are available to firefighters," said the report, which also found that not all firefighters receive the same training for dealing with situations involving the upper floors of buildings.

The report noted that on the night of the incident, there was another ladder that could reach the third floor, but it was put into "safety mode" during an earlier rescue that night and could not be used again until the mode was manually overridden.

The ministry noted that since the incident, the fire department has already equipped the ladder truck with a 10-metre ladder.

It also recommended that the fire department:

• Ensure its procedures are consistent with what is taught to firefighters. For example, its urban tactics course specifies that crews should ensure a ladder is accessible from the building to ensure the safety of firefighters inside.
• Boost and standardize safety training for firefighters.
• Look into safety gear (a self-deployed belay system) that allows a firefighter to be secured from the building he or she is jumping from to minimize a fall.

Deputy Chief Bruce Montone said the report was a wakeup call.

"I think the recommendations were useful," he said.

A more standardized training program is now being designed for crews of the ladder trucks, he added, and policies are being reviewed with members of the fire service.

Union had hoped for labour orders

But Peter Kennedy, president of the firefighters union, said he is disappointed there were only recommendations in the report and no orders forcing the department to make changes.

The ministry said that is because no provincial laws were broken during the incident.

Kennedy said he's not satisfied that firefighters' concerns about staffing are being properly addressed following the incident.

"There are a number of functions firefighters have to perform as soon as we get to the scene, and we can't do that if we don't have enough staff," he said. "As a result, it's going to be unsafe work conditions for firefighters and we're not going to get the results as far as saving people and saving property."