BC’s fire chiefs not sure about mandatory sprinklers idea
Posted April 5, 2013 4:05 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
LANGLEY (NEWS1130) – A fatal fire at a seniors complex in Langley this week has raised questions about whether sprinklers should be made mandatory.
But BC’s fire chiefs aren’t sure the province should be going that far.
Surrey Fire Chief Len Garis, who heads the provincial association, says generally, he’s a fan of sprinklers, but there isn’t yet evidence to show they would make a dramatic difference in seniors’ homes.
“We also have to be mindful and realistic about affordability, low-cost housing, and safe housing as well,” he points out.
He cautions against an over-reaction. “If we deal with something in an absolutely random way, in other words, we just hit everybody all the time, we could be imposing costs and something that is unrealistic.”
The coroner’s office says a review of fires in the last two decades in multi-unit buildings shows no recommendations related to seniors complexes.
In Ontario, the government has committed $20 million to install sprinklers in seniors homes after a big push by that province’s fire chiefs.
BC’s Minister for Seniors thinks it would be way too expensive to install sprinklers in all homes for the elderly.
But he does have other suggestions to prevent another fire death like the one in Langley this week.
Ralph Sultan says more work needs to be done to get people out of those buildings faster, especially when we are dealing with a structure higher than one storey.
He says the seniors caught in the blaze this week had to contend with their walkers and oxygen tanks.
“Really, the solution is better enforcement of fire regulations and a good hard look at cooking facilities that are available to seniors frequently,” he says.
Sultan adds most of these buildings were built in the 50’s or 60’s. “They are totally inadequate in terms of fire protection. To retrofit all of those buildings with sprinklers is probably a proposition that is so expensive you might as well say ‘why don’t we just start all over again?”
