Align airport firefighting standards

AI summary

Petitioners ask the Government of Canada to amend Part 303 of the Canadian Aviation Regulations to align airport firefighting with ICAO standards: recognize passenger rescue, set minimum staffing, require three‑minute runway responses and public reporting.

AI summaries describe petitioners’ requests and claims. Consult the official record for the full text.

Official petition

Petition to the Government of Canada The safety of airline passengers depends on timely and effective airport rescue and firefighting services in the event of an aircraft emergency; The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) requires airport rescue and firefighting services to perform passenger rescue as a core operational function and to reach all points of operational runways within three minutes; Canada's Airport Rescue and Fire Fighting Regulations under Part 303 of the Canadian Aviation Regulations do not fully align with internationally recognized ICAO standards for airport rescue and firefighting; Canada's current regulations do not establish minimum staffing requirements needed to conduct passenger rescue operations during an aircraft emergency; and The House of Commons adopted Motion M-96 in December 2023, recognizing that Canada's Airport Rescue and Fire Fighting Regulations should be aligned with ICAO standards to improve passenger safety. We, the undersigned, Citizens and Residents of Canada, call upon the Government of Canada to amend Part 303 of the Canadian Aviation Regulations to align Canada's Airport Rescue and Fire Fighting Regulations with the standards of the International Civil Aviation Organization by: 1. Recognizing passenger rescue as a required function of airport firefighting services; 2. Establishing minimum staffing requirements necessary to safely conduct passenger rescue operations; 3. Requiring airport firefighting services to meet internationally recognized response time standards for all operational runway areas; and 4. Publicly reporting any differences between Canadian airport firefighting regulations and ICAO standards, consistent with Canada's international obligations.

Government response

No government response is available yet.