Proposed fire bylaw changes include higher false alarm fees

After consulting with almost 300 stakeholders, Regina Fire & Protective Services (RFPS) is looking for changes to the city’s fire bylaw. In a public presentation made Friday afternoon, Fire Chief Layne Jackson said the changes are a way to enhance public safety and help offset costs of governmentmandated fire inspections.

The changes will be presented at a Community and Protective Services Committee meeting on Sept. 13. Here’s a look at the proposed changes and when they would come into effect if approved.

FALSE ALARMS (JULY 1, 2019)

Proposal: Fees for responding to false alarms due to a malfunctioning alarm or security systems mistakenly routed to RFPS. A warning letter will be issued after the first false alarm, a $300 fee will be charged for a second and $600 for the third and subsequent false alarms.

The warning/fee structure resets each calendar year. Jackson said the fees do not apply when an alarm is triggered by heat, smoke or fire. The RFPS responded to 1,063 false alarms in 2017, which cost it approximately $350,000.

INSPECTIONS (JAN. 1, 2019)

Proposal: A $95 fee for facilities that require provincially and federally mandated fire inspections. This includes facilities like day cares, care homes and university home stays and can be done annually or every three years, according to the RFPS.

The fee is on a per-inspection basis and compares to $90 in Saskatoon, $130 in Edmonton, $171 in London and $176 in Toronto. Jackson said the fee would cover 25-30 per cent of what it costs the RFPS to do the inspections.

PERMITS (JAN. 1, 2019)

Proposal: Permits for open air fires, which does not include fire pits, will cost $62. Fire marshal Randy Ryba said there are three situations this permit applies to: fire extinguisher training, theatrical performances like fire eating and juggling and fire pits requested for events on city property.

Permits to sell fireworks would cost $106 for up to three locations and $31 per additional location. Permits for pyrotechnic exhibitions would cost $106 per event with no inspection and $282 per event with a site inspection.

LICENCES (JAN. 1, 2019)

Proposal: Fire technician licences for people who maintain, service or test portable fire extinguishers, commercial cooking equipment, sprinkler and standpipe systems, fire alarm systems and addressable fire alarm systems. The cost would be $62 per technician for up to five licences. “These licences don’t apply to electrical contractors that are doing new installations or installations of fire alarm systems,” said Jackson.

REGULATIONS (JAN. 1, 2020)

Three proposals: Smoke alarms in rental properties are to be replaced with hard-wired smoke alarms that have a battery backup in case of a power outage. A 10-year, tamper-proof battery smoke alarms would be required on all floors of a structure, not just floors with bedrooms. Inspections of smoke alarms in between tenants would be required.

“In the last 10 years, 10 of the 15 fire fatalities that we had in this community occurred in residential rental occupancies,” said Jackson of what drove the recommendation for the regulatory changes.

“We’ve done a lot of research and work on these,” he said. “We believe we have a good case and that we have good evidence and data to show city council.”

Stakeholders involved in consultation included the Saskatchewan Landlord Association, Electrical Contractors Association of Saskatchewan and the Saskatchewan chapter of the Canadian Fire Alarm Association