Councillor wants report on fire alarm enforcement
Niagara Falls city staff will report back to council comparing its fire department’s enforcement procedures with other Niagara communities “with respect to their position on the concept of compliance versus prosecution.”
Council approved asking for the report through a motion brought forward by Coun. Wayne Campbell during Tuesday evening’s meeting.
Campbell, who recently pleaded guilty to two charges and was fined $1,000 for fire-code violations in a rental property, said he believes the fire department’s Wake Up campaign this month to help residents ensure their homes are safe by having the necessary smoke and carbon-monoxide alarms is “extremely important.”
“I think it’s extremely important that we ensure that all of our citizens are protected,” he said.
“However, it would appear from the feedback I have received recently from many citizens and landlords in our community, there does not appear to be a consistent approach with respect to how the fire department handles first-time offenders.”
Campbell said if the purpose of this month’s campaign is to make citizens aware of the importance of smoke and carbon-monoxide detectors and all fire-safety requirements being in place, “why aren’t we focusing on compliance rather than prosecution?”
Campbell was one of three residential landlords in the city who were convicted of offences related to failing to install or maintain smoke and carbon-monoxide alarms in their rental properties.
The matters were dealt with in provincial offences court last week.
Campbell told the Niagara Falls Review he believes it was a vendetta against him because of his support for backyard residential fires.
Campbell said he believes he was “hoodwinked” and had a due-diligence defence, but was facing roadblocks and would have had to go through too much bureaucracy.
He said he was urged by his wife to plead guilty due to the stress it was causing.
Niagara Falls fire Chief Jim Boutilier said when he does the report, “we’re going to find that what we do in Niagara Falls is exactly the same across the Niagara region, probably across the province.”
He said the fire department has been trying to educate citizens for years through campaigns that smoke and carbon-monoxide alarms can save lives.
“It comes to a point where you have to draw the line.”
Boutilier said the fire department is obligated to investigate every complaint.
If people are found to be in violation of the fire code, they are charged.
“If you take the Wake Up campaign, we have no right to go into anybody’s house, so we’re doing it to try to get people to comply, we’re doing it to try and work with the citizens to say, hey, we’re going to come in, we’re going to educate you, we’re going to give you some information, this month is kind of a free month.”
The fire department does not issue fines during campaign stops, but Boutilier said if they receive a complaint and find a person is in violation of the fire code, they will be charged.
He said last year’s campaign yielded 37 per cent compliance.
“We have to get that number up. We need to comply. Smoke alarms save lives. CO alarms save lives.”