14 Dec 2007 Canada has one of the highest rates of fire deaths in the world, and almost 80% of them happen at night. When you consider that Ontario is one of the remaining jurisdictions in North America where wooden fire escapes are still permitted, it’s clear that this bill is a welcomed and important step to help save lives. Many of the people living in these old, potentially unsafe buildings tend to be people of lower incomes. In some instances they’re students, particularly if the building is near a school or a university. Sometimes they’re people who live on social assistance and who cannot afford to live in newer or better-kept apartments. And, in many circumstances, the residents of these buildings are new immigrants just starting out in a new homeland. Bill 14 would do two things. First, it would make sure that all multiple unit dwellings such as apartment buildings are equipped with fire detectors in all public corridors and common areas, and have interconnected alarms that ring throughout the building in the event of a major fire. These interconnected fire alarms would work when an out-of-control fire triggers a building-wide alert; if the fire in a unit is strong enough to force the smoke to spill out into the halls, it will trigger the alarm throughout the building so that people in other units will be able to hear it and know that there is a serious fire. The second part of this bill addresses the ability to escape from a flaming building. Once alerted to a fire situation, it’s critical that people can escape safely. This bill recognizes that there are many fire escapes in the province that were constructed at a time when current safety measures were not in place, and that a number of buildings with wooden fire escapes offer no protection in the case of a fire – particularly when the only means of escape may in fact fuel that very same fire. We need to make changes to give people every chance to escape alive. Bill 14 is supported by the Canadian Automatic Sprinkler Association, the Toronto Fire Service, the Ontario Municipal Fire Prevention Officers Association and the Ontario Association of Fire Chiefs. Click here for the full text of Bill 14, The Fire Protection Statute Amendment Act, 2007 |
