Fire Safety Committee Submits Final Report

An all-party committee recommends that the Nova Scotia government adopt legislation that will make the Canadian National Fire Code the province's fire code.

The Select Committee on Fire Safety submitted its final report to the House of Assembly today, Feb. 28.

The committee's first recommendation is to reintroduce Bill 58 -- the Fire Safety Act -- with amendments as soon as possible and to table draft regulations.

The bill also names more specific offences and provides tougher fines for those who break the law. This will make negligent property owners subject to larger penalties for violations of the new legislation. It also gives fire officials more authority to ensure that property owners comply with fire safety orders.

In addition to reviewing Bill 58, the committee heard from many people and organizations directly affected by the legislation. Fire departments, municipalities, insurance organizations, the provincial fire marshal and private citizens across Nova Scotia proposed changes to the legislation and discussed the state of fire safety in Nova Scotia.

"The committee considered a wide range of experience and knowledge. Our recommendations reflect what we thought was the best way to use that information," said Jon Carey, chair of the select committee. "This report will help the government develop a highly effective fire safety law for this province."

The committee further recommends the government immediately begin to enforce the requirement that municipalities hire fire inspectors. The requirement has been in place since 1976, but many municipalities haven't complied. The committee further recommends that government consider providing some financial help to municipalities whose costs will increase as a result of enforcing this part of the law.

It recommends harmonizing responsibilities of fire and building inspectors in response to concerns about overlapping duties.

In another recommendation, self-inspection would be limited to operations that produce electricity for the purpose of selling it. Each operation is responsible for ensuring that its employees and its insurance company are aware of the inspection report. Also, the fire marshal's office is to put in place a system of external audits performed by fire officials.

The report is available on the government Web site, at www.gov.ns.ca/legislature/COMMITTEES/fire_safety.html , and from the Legislative Committees Office at 902-424-4432.