Fire Leads to Smoke Alarm Ticket

A fire on June 23, 2009 in a second floor suite of the McGibbon Hotel resulted in a ticket being issued to the tenant of the suite for intentionally removing the smoke alarm in his suite.

Fire crews responded to a report of smoke conditions and alarm bells ringing in this three level building. When they arrived, smoke was visible on the second and third floors and the building had been evacuated.

Firefighters made quick access into the unit finding smoke in the suite and hallway. Upon entering they found a small burn mark on the floor and the fire had been extinguished. The fire loss is limited to the burnt linoleum floor and burn marks on a fridge door. The cause of the fire is the inappropriate disposal of smoking materials into a plastic bag. There was no working smoke alarm found in the unit. A review of the incident with the tenant found that he had placed cigarette butts into a plastic bag and left it on the floor of his room. He left the room for a short period of time.

Upon returning he found his room filled with smoke and the plastic bag with its contents smoldering on the floor. He subsequently took action to extinguish the fire. When the tenant had opened the door to his room this released the smoke from his room into the hallway causing the building fire alarm to be activated.

Further investigating into the incident found that the tenant had disabled and removed the smoke alarm in his unit prior to the incident and had placed it on the floor. The removal of this smoke alarm prevented early detection of this incident putting the lives of all the other residents at risk. The tenant further revealed he had intentionally disabled and removed the smoke alarm unit because it was activating when he smoked in his room.

This incident had the potential to cause personal injury, loss of life and greater fire damage. The lives of all the occupants of this building were put at risk when the smoke alarm was disabled and removed. As a result, a ticket with a fine of $235 was issued to the tenant.

A subsequent inspection of other units in this building was done to ensure working smoke alarms were provided by the building owner. The owner of this building has been very cooperative with fire department inspection staff to ensure fire safety in his building.

The Ontario Fire Code requires working smoke alarms in every level of a dwelling unit and near each sleeping area. This applies to residential homes as well as rental units. Building owners are required to ensure there is a working smoke and that they are maintained. Building owners who fail to provide a working smoke alarm and anyone who disables or removes a smoke alarm is in violation of the Ontario Fire Code. Violations of the above provisions can result in prosecutions with fines up to $50,000 for an individual or $100,000 for corporations and possible imprisonment.

The Halton Hills Fire Protection and Prevention Services is serious about the installation and maintenance of working smoke alarms. They provide an early warning from fire allowing sufficient time to escape from the building. Building owners who fail to provide working smoke alarms and individuals who disable a working smoke alarm will not be tolerated. The actions of these individuals put others lives at risk and will be dealt with within the provisions of the Fire Protection and Prevention Act and the Ontario Fire Code.

Fire Chief Brent Marshall states, “Working smoke alarms are the single most important life safety tool in your home. For an item that can cost as little as $10 there is no excuse for not have a working smoke alarm. The responsibility to have working smoke alarms is everyone’s responsibility. Home owners, landlords and tenants will be held accountable.”

Chief of Prevention and Public Education Harry Olivieri, would like to invite any homeowner, building owner, tenant or citizen who has any questions or concerns about the smoke alarm provisions of the Ontario Fire Code to contact him at (905) 873-2601 ext 2102.

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