Council passes fire bylawwith new fees and rules

Regina has a new fire bylaw after council unanimously approved an updated version with fees for fireworks and false alarms.

The bylaw had not been amended since 2010.

In a move to keep in step with updates to provincial legislation and the National Fire Code, city administration proposed changes in 2016.

But council voted them down in the face of objections from landlords and tenants, who said they weren’t consulted over monthly fire alarm inspections that some warned would compromise tenant privacy.

Fire Chief Layne Jackson said the new bylaw, which passed on Monday, strikes a balance.

“They’re less onerous, but they still work to improve fire and life safety,” he said of the rental property provisions.

Under the new bylaw, hardwired smoke alarms will need to have a lithium battery backup, while floors without bedrooms will also need a lithium-battery operated device.

Landlords will have to check smoke alarms every six months, as well as every time a new tenant moves out or in.

Jackson pointed out that a majority of recent fire fatalities in Regina have been in rental properties. He thanked landlords who have already taken action.

“The last thing that landlords want is a fire in their buildings and a loss of life,” he said, calling consultations in the run-up to the bylaw “a pleasure.”

He said landlords will have time to come into compliance, with the relevant provisions taking effect on Jan. 1, 2020.

The new bylaw also enacts penalties for false alarms caused by faulty devices. Jackson said Regina Fire & Protective Services responded to more than 1,000 false alarms last year, wasting significant time and money.

“Sometimes it can take several hours,” he said. “It takes our crews and our firefighters out of service and takes them out from responding to the community.”

He has estimated the costs of those calls at about $350,000 in total.

Jackson said the new penalties are fair. They start with a warning and escalate to $300, and then $600 for subsequent infractions in the same calendar year.

He clarified that leaving toast in the toaster — or a similar mistake that elicited a fire alarm — wouldn’t count.

The penalties are for alarms triggered by poorly maintained or malfunctioning equipment.

Finally, the bylaw will impose fees for a series of permits. One example is a permitting system for businesses selling fireworks. The idea is supposed to ensure that they are safe and comply with regulations governing explosives.

Some of the permits already exist but do not have fees, like openair fires and fireworks exhibitions. The new fees are meant to recover costs for Regina Fire & Protective Services enforcement action.

The open-air fire permits do not apply to fire pits and outdoor fireplaces that meet certain specifications.

“The intent of the fire bylaw is to increase public safety and enhance that element,” said Jackson. “So whenever we can do that, we’re happy.”

Councillors unanimously passed another bylaw change on Monday, clearing the way for a pay-byphone parking app they already endorsed earlier in the year.

The change to the Regina Traffic Bylaw will remove impediments to rolling out the system, which would otherwise leave paying drivers illegally parked beside “expired” metres.

Now, with an exemption in effect, smartphone payments will be a valid excuse.

Parking manager Faisal Kalim said the city is now seeking a company able to provide the app through a request for proposals.