<OT> To all New Zealand SxS members

[Tom Marinis]

Ted Ozolins wrote:
> Collins Richey wrote:
> 
>>
>> The one thing we Americans and Canadians have in common, besides the
>> language, is the best politicians money can buy.  They all suck.
>>
> I just learned that the reason that we (here in B. C.) are short of 
> manpower to address these fires is that a Workers Compaensation ruling 
> requires that anyone fighting a forest fire must possess cirtification 
> by the Forestry. I've heard of all kinds of stupidity but this takes the 
> cake. I think its time for a class action suit against WCB. I can not 
> believe that a private organization none of which are elected officials 
> can pass laws. I thought that within the british-north amercan act 
> states that only elected officials can pass laws here. Dang I better 
> drop this.

I was just out of highschool, and was tree-planter/firefighter 
for the summer in and around the Penticton area in mid 1987.

The only WCB regs at that time were the requirements for
safety gear ( you know, gloves, brain bucket, boots,
cover alls ), a manditory 2 hr training course on how to fight
forest fires, and a single guy with Industrial First Aid for
crew of fire fighters.

Back then it was; for every 5 man firefighter crew, you had
to have a I.F.A. Level 1 ticket holder in the group.

If the crew was 20 or over, the I.F.A. guy had to be
LEVEL 3.



Now your saying the volunteers firefighters need Forestry
Certification ?  What the heck is that exactly?

Damn, things have changed a lot in BC since the mid 1990's. I 
never heard about this before, and I live here.