The Saskatchewan Fire Safety Act states:
15(1) Every local assistant shall:
(a) administer and enforce the Act within the local assistant’s jurisdiction.
My question is: Note the word “shall”. What is the consequence or penalty to a local assistant who fails to administer and enforce the Act?
This question is loaded – with frustration, with helplessness, with not enough budget and not enough support. If you know this answer, please share.
But I believe we can offer this person more, and speak to the underlying issue.
If you have experience changing the status quo in smaller jurisdictions, if you’ve tried something that made a difference locally, if you have useful tools, or even just some encouraging words – please share!
Small town SK, you’re not alone. We got you.
2 Responses
A very good question indeed! “What is the consequence…” Well, most often there is no consequence – until there suddenly is.
Whether it’s administering and enforcing the Act, providing training to their firefighters that meets ALL of the standards, keeping ahead of the OH&S regulations, getting all the maintenance/budgeting/purchasing/reporting done, or Documenting. Every. Damn. Thing., the fire chief of a small town has enough responsibilities to keep 3 people busy all day (and he or she is likely carrying out this role in their spare time, after working at a “regular” job that actually comes with a paycheque).
Worse, training for fire chiefs is very much a “grab what you can, when you can” sort of affair. It takes years to accumulate the knowledge required to understand the job thoroughly and do it well. In the meantime, the novice chief is at great risk of personal liability should that unlucky day arrive when something goes badly wrong, and all the fingers are then pointing at you. Councils need someone to blame – and you’re it!
In spite of all that, the fire chiefs of our province are dedicated to providing an essential service with integrity and reliability. I wonder, though, how sustainable it is to run things this way. Surely public safety needs a whole lot more support than it is currently getting.
We ask the same question out here in B.C. and, sadly, have the same answer: not much. Fire Departments are often understaffed and underfunded, making it that much harder for them to provide the non-emergency services, such as building inspection and follow up on non-compliant building owners. So what CAN be done?
Engage your AHJ’s in talks about how fire alarm service providers can more proactively support the fire departments. For example, by sending deficiency reports directly to the fire department, rather than the report sitting waiting for the next annual inspection by the AHJ’s. This makes it easier for AHJ’s to enforce the rules or bylaws on the building that actually have problems, rather than them having to look for that needle (or four) in the haystack.
In the end, the Fire Code piles all responsibility for fire safety in a building onto the shoulders of the least educated folks in the room: the Building Owners. Annual inspection providers must step up to the plate and fill the gap, whether mandated in your local Fire Code or not.