IDEA NEEDS INSPECTION

There’s an element of truth in the old saying that “you can’t legislate common sense.”

Still, that must not stop society from enacting sensible laws designed to protect people from injury or death — and imposing penalties on those who disobey and put themselves and others at risk.

An ongoing concern is those citizens who don’t install or maintain working smoke detectors in their homes as required by the Regina fire bylaw.

There are even anecdotal stories of those so irritated by the shrill alarms going off every time something is frying in the kitchen that they remove the batteries. Unfortunately, the peace and quiet they seek could be permanent if a subsequent fire breaks out while they are sleeping and they get no warning.

Indeed, the City of Regina points out on its website that “most people who die in fires in Regina die in homes without a working smoke alarm.” The city’s bylaw not only requires every home to be equipped with a working smoke alarm, but says they must be placed in “every sleeping area.”

Homeowners are advised to replace smoke alarms every 10 years, install fresh batteries once a year and test their alarms monthly.

The regulations for rental units are more stringent. As of January this year, all such units were required to have hardwired smoke alarms that are tested every six months.

Now, citing the higher rate of fire fatalities in rental units — and the disproportionate number of rental smoke alarms that aren’t working — city officials want mandatory tests every 30 days.

Though concerns about fire safety in rental units is understandable given 11 fatalities between 2005 and 2015, 30-day smoke alarm inspections would be a significant departure from existing regulations in other cities.

For example, Saskatoon, Prince Albert, Calgary, Edmonton and Winnipeg have a mix of rules, from annual inspections to checks at the beginning of each tenancy. None require monthly smoke alarm inspections.

As Coun. Jerry Flegel observed at this week’s council meeting, landlords should have been consulted before the proposal was drafted. The Saskatchewan Landlords Association says the first it knew of the idea was when it was reported in the Regina Leader-Post on June 13.

A thorough discussion is required to see if monthly tests are justified on safety grounds. Additionally, would fire officials have the resources to ensure monthly checks were taking place? Would an unnecessary burden be placed on landlords? Would tenants suffer undue disruption that might violate the Residential Tenancies Act?

Council needs to have clear answers to these and other questions before changing the bylaw.