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Viewing 15 posts - 16 through 30 (of 105 total)
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  • in reply to: Open Burning vs. Tiki Torches #12915
    John WilsonJohn Wilson
    Participant

    Hi Patrick,

    We don’t specifically identify them here in Perth. However, our bylaw (and any other that I’ve heard of) speak to solid fuel (ie wood) and liquid fuel devices are excluded. I would consider tiki torches no different than a propane fire table or a citronella candle.

    What department are you from? Unless you are in an MNR district, the local fire service would be the AHJ, not the province.

    in reply to: Annual Smoke Alarm Testing During Lock-down #12890
    John WilsonJohn Wilson
    Participant

    Jacques, there’s a couple Communiques from OFM that would be worth a read. The are in the NEWS section. One is from July 10 on VOs and the other is a more general one from March 27th. I’ve tried twice to put the links in this response but for some reason my post isn’t registering.

    in reply to: Rooming houses #12886
    John WilsonJohn Wilson
    Participant

    There’s always the option to also include the Building Department as construction would have taken place (most likely) without a permit. Under 36 (8) of the BCA, they have 1 year to act from the time they become aware of the issue (even if the issue has been in existence longer than that). Bring it to the CBO and/or Building Inspector to have an Order to Comply issued under either Sentence 8 or 12 of the BCA. The building permit would be needed anyway to bring the building into compliance so why not put it in their hands to start with.

    John WilsonJohn Wilson
    Participant

    Karin, where did you copy that code reference from? It indicates two defined terms (the italics) but neither my hard copy Code nor the e-laws one has them as defined. It would be interesting to see what those definitions are.

    Although the tail end of sentence clearly states ‘glass’, that appears specific to hose cabinets. If it’s a cabinet for only an extinguisher, then the scored acrylic should be fine. In reality, I’ve never seen an actual ‘glass’ one, only plastic.

    in reply to: Dates for 2021 Annual Fire Alarm Inspections #12832
    John WilsonJohn Wilson
    Participant

    I’m with Doug and would work off the new date.

    Yes as you mention Al, there is the possibility of abuse of the system but we also all have those properties already that are at best 4 out of 5 years. At day 366 they are technically out of compliance and subject to enforcement actions. Earlier this year we did receive Communique from OFM to be sympathetic during the pandemic but that will presumably expire once the Provincial Emergency Order is lifted and the service companies have been able to catch up. That being said, just because a business had been Ordered closed, that didn’t absolve them from complying with other Applicable Law. I remember there being a specific note  in one of the early Emergency Orders that spoke directly to this. The LTC Home delaying due to an outbreak? Sure that makes sense. An otherwise empty assembly or business occupancy delaying? I don’t see that as a legitimate excuse for delay unless the service company was unavailable.

    John WilsonJohn Wilson
    Participant

    We are one of those municipalities that do not charge for fire protection water. However, if you are running a combined system (sprinklers off the cold water supply) there’s no way around it coming thru the meter.

    John WilsonJohn Wilson
    Participant

    I’ll be honest, I’m not sure how it ended. I know the place is framed and they are working on the interior. I’ll take a look…

    John WilsonJohn Wilson
    Participant

    There’s several other very similar threads on this. I’ve sent an email to Del to see if they can be combined. In the meantime, you might want to check back in the older threads for related ones.

    John WilsonJohn Wilson
    Participant

    We use the ICQ Tech one that Nick mentions, it’s called BeeOn. Cornwall has the same version that we do but it’s clunky mainly due to the translation issue. Smiths Falls also has it. They’ve since upgraded to a newer version that is web based which is supposedly better but I haven’t seen it

    John WilsonJohn Wilson
    Participant

    I was going to suggest checking with BC also, it might even be part of their building code now –  I’d heard they were pushing for that but don’t know how it worked out.

    Michael, thanks for the link to Swift Current. We’ve got one property here currently under construction where the owner was adamant that they have residential sprinklers and there was lots of discussion surrounding it. We are a fully serviced municipality and they needed to go from a standard 3/4″ water meter to a 1″ to meet the flow rates for 13D. Our water fees are based on size of meter and debate even had to happen for him to get the 1″ meter yet charge him normal 3/4″ rates (which to  me seemed like an absurd discussion – just give him the lower rate)

    in reply to: Dry Hydrants Installed at Lakeshores #12785
    John WilsonJohn Wilson
    Participant

    You may want to check NFPA 1142 and particularly Chapter 8 as that is the Standard typically used for dry hydrants. NFPA 1141 might also be worth a read.

    in reply to: First Alert hardwired smoke alarm with strobe light #12783
    John WilsonJohn Wilson
    Participant

    Bryan, what do you mean by “residential license inspection”?  I’m both FPO and Building Inspector and have no idea what these are.

    John WilsonJohn Wilson
    Participant

    It is my understanding that we have never issued a single charge or ticket, post fire or not. We have no formal policy on it, more of the informal approach of ‘we’re a small town and don’t need to rub salt in the wound’. Personally, I have a different opinion but am not good at politics either…

    in reply to: Inspection – 2 apartments over an insurance business #12770
    John WilsonJohn Wilson
    Participant

    In addition to what Vicki said, there is one other thing to consider regarding the lack of fire separation between the occupancies… what is the age of the building? The original OBC came in to effect in 1975, anything older than this it becomes an F Order like Vicki said. If the building is younger than 1975, it should have been built under a building permit with (typically) a 1 hr separation. From what I can see of the floor joists & bridging, that place could be as old as about 1970 and as new as into the 1990s but the steel studs are most definitely newer than 1975 so there should have been a building permit to construct that wall.

    I would check with the Building Department for open files and if the age can be reasonably determined, discuss with the CBO if they want to tackle it under the BCA/OBC or if you do the F Order to have the separation created. Open communication between Building and Fire is super helpful all the time and emphasized in times like this. I’m fortunate, I wear both hats and am in both OBC and OFC all the time…

    in reply to: First Alert hardwired smoke alarm with strobe light #12761
    John WilsonJohn Wilson
    Participant

    The comparable Kidde alarms had similar issue when they first came out several years ago. Thanks to one of my property owners, it was pointed out to me that they have a very specific initialization sequence, if it’s not followed properly, nuisance alarms will happen. A couple of my local electricians further confirmed this. They had to be connected to the 120 power before activating the internal backup battery which was different than usual as most would install the batteries where it’s easy while standing on the floor rather than up the ladder.

    Might be similar issue with the First Alert ones.

Viewing 15 posts - 16 through 30 (of 105 total)