Fire chief backs ban on wooden fire escapes
FROM CANADIAN PRESS
The Ontario legislature took another step today towards outlawing wooden fire escapes on apartment buildings by giving approval in principle to a private member's bill by New Democrat Michael Prue. Allowing buildings to have fire escapes constructed of wood doesn't make sense in 2005, and Ontario's building code should be changed to ban them, Prue told the legislature. "It's just common sense . . .wooden fire escapes should no longer exist in Ontario," he said. "People fleeing for their lives (should) not be forced to go down a fire escape that is itself engulfed in flames." Prue's bill would force building owners to replace existing wooden fire escapes with more modern ones made of iron or concrete, or anything, he said, that doesn't burn. "The question was asked: is it going to be retroactive? Yes, it would involve literally every rental unit in the province." There are "tens of thousands" of wood buildings across the province that need better fire escapes, and the cost of replacing them would be minimal, especially given that landlords could pass it on in the form of a rent hike, he said. Toronto fire Chief William Stewart said the bill would save lives by also requiring interconnected fire alarms in apartment buildings, instead of relying on panicked tenants to find a wall-pull to trigger loud bells — a key recommendation of a coroner's inquest into a 1999 Toronto fire that claimed two lives. "By ensuring that you've got prompt and effective alarm devices that are interconnected, it's going to save the individual's lives by early warning," said Stewart. "We also need to look at residential sprinklers in the same context, and make sure that's entrenched in the Ontario building code." Another member of the Toronto fire department offered support for Prue's bill, recounting how his crew tried unsuccessfully to save the two tenants in the 1999 blaze, but found the fire escape itself engulfed in flames. "Our assignment was to take hose lines to the rear of the building and try to put out the fire on the fire escape," said Scott Marks, president of the Toronto Professional Fire Fighters' Association. "Even with copious amounts of water, it was impossible to bring that building under control." Gail Nyberg, a spokeswoman for the Metro Tenants Association, which represents apartment renters, said it's high time the province banned wooden fire escapes. "It makes it safer for tenants (and) for our professional firefighters," Nyberg said. Private member's bills rarely become law in Ontario - Prue's still needs to survive legislative committee hearings before third reading debate and a final vote - but Housing Minister John Gerretsen said the legislation "made a lot of sense" to him.
FROM CANADIAN PRESS
The Ontario legislature took another step today towards outlawing wooden fire escapes on apartment buildings by giving approval in principle to a private member's bill by New Democrat Michael Prue. Allowing buildings to have fire escapes constructed of wood doesn't make sense in 2005, and Ontario's building code should be changed to ban them, Prue told the legislature. "It's just common sense . . .wooden fire escapes should no longer exist in Ontario," he said. "People fleeing for their lives (should) not be forced to go down a fire escape that is itself engulfed in flames." Prue's bill would force building owners to replace existing wooden fire escapes with more modern ones made of iron or concrete, or anything, he said, that doesn't burn. "The question was asked: is it going to be retroactive? Yes, it would involve literally every rental unit in the province." There are "tens of thousands" of wood buildings across the province that need better fire escapes, and the cost of replacing them would be minimal, especially given that landlords could pass it on in the form of a rent hike, he said. Toronto fire Chief William Stewart said the bill would save lives by also requiring interconnected fire alarms in apartment buildings, instead of relying on panicked tenants to find a wall-pull to trigger loud bells — a key recommendation of a coroner's inquest into a 1999 Toronto fire that claimed two lives. "By ensuring that you've got prompt and effective alarm devices that are interconnected, it's going to save the individual's lives by early warning," said Stewart. "We also need to look at residential sprinklers in the same context, and make sure that's entrenched in the Ontario building code." Another member of the Toronto fire department offered support for Prue's bill, recounting how his crew tried unsuccessfully to save the two tenants in the 1999 blaze, but found the fire escape itself engulfed in flames. "Our assignment was to take hose lines to the rear of the building and try to put out the fire on the fire escape," said Scott Marks, president of the Toronto Professional Fire Fighters' Association. "Even with copious amounts of water, it was impossible to bring that building under control." Gail Nyberg, a spokeswoman for the Metro Tenants Association, which represents apartment renters, said it's high time the province banned wooden fire escapes. "It makes it safer for tenants (and) for our professional firefighters," Nyberg said. Private member's bills rarely become law in Ontario - Prue's still needs to survive legislative committee hearings before third reading debate and a final vote - but Housing Minister John Gerretsen said the legislation "made a lot of sense" to him.
"If we can improve the safety of individuals through the building code we'll certainly do that," said Gerretsen. "We'll take a very serious look at the bill."
Prue said it would be up to the committee to determine a time line for implementation, and to decide if landlords should have to pick up all the cost of replacing the old wooden fire escapes.
"We know that this is going to require work," he said. "But the reality is that we think the bill is absolutely necessary."
1 comment:
There is some great information on tenants issues on Ontario Tenants Rights.
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