A simple automatic sprinkler system, which is mandatory in new homes in more than 30 British Columbia municipalities, likely would have saved seven children that perished in a fatal house fire last week in Spryfield, says a B.C. fire chief.
“The fire in its early stages would never have left whatever room it started had a sprinkler system been operating in that structure, and I can say that with absolutely 100 per cent confidence,” said Len Garis, who has been chief of the Surrey Fire Department for two decades.
Garis is urging the province to use the Feb. 19 tragedy as an opportunity to enact legislation requiring sprinkler systems in all new residential structures. Two more people were killed in a house fire in Dominion, Cape Breton, on Saturday evening.
The longtime firefighter and professor of criminology at the University of the Fraser Valley has tracked the data for decades and says the evidence clearly shows that sprinkler systems save lives.
“Across Canada, the death rate in a residential setting is 11.1 per 1,000 fires, and if you have a sprinkler system it drops to 3.4. If you want to reduce the death rates, install a sprinkler system and a fire alarm. They have to work together.”
“How many more people must die before Nova Scotia’s provincial and municipal elected officials take steps to make mandatory the installation of sprinklers in all new homes?"
- Peter Simpson, firefighter
National fire data also shows that with sprinklers, fires are contained to the room they began in 88 per cent of the time, says Garis.
The cost of a sprinkler system for a standard two-storey home is between $3,000 to $4,000, a negligible expense given the overall cost of a new home, he says.
“We’re packing more people into housing, you see closer lot lines, taller houses, and it’s a recipe for disaster,” said Garis.
Peter Simpson, a firefighter with the Dayspring and District Fire Department in Lunenburg County, agrees. The former head of the Greater Vancouver Home Builders’ Association says Tuesday’s tragedy served as his breaking point. Last year, seven people, including four young children in West Pubnico, perished in structure fires on the South Shore.
“Enough is enough,” Simpson said.
“How many more people must die before Nova Scotia’s provincial and municipal elected officials take steps to make mandatory the installation of sprinklers in all new homes?
“They’re like having a firefighter on scene, knocking down the fire, well before the pumper truck and suppression crew have even left the fire hall.”
Both say there are misconceptions about the design and function of sprinklers. Sprinkler heads are positioned to cover the entire layout of homes and are individually heat activated to prevent all the sprinkler heads from coming on at the same time. Sprinklers almost never go off accidentally, need minimal maintenance and can lower home insurance costs, Garis says.
The provincial government could amend the Fire Safety Act to make residential sprinklers in new homes required by law in the province. The province also allows for municipalities to enact a bylaw making them mandatory.
The Chronicle Herald contacted the Department of Municipal Affairs and Mayor Mike Savage of Halifax Regional Municipality to see whether both levels of government would consider such a law, but both declined to comment. Steve Adams, the councillor representing Spryfield, also declined comment.
Media reports quoted neighbours suggesting the blaze could have been caused by a gas explosion. The Chronicle Herald obtained before-and-after surveillance video footage of the deadly fire captured by a neighbour. At one point, the blaze looks to be an explosion, but Garis says it was likely the result of oxygen hitting what was probably a controlled fire. That alone would have been enough to turn the fire into a raging blaze, he says.
Media reports also said that the fire originated from the baseboard heaters and ignited a nearby couch. Garis says that is a possibility.
“What you’re seeing here are these catastrophic situations happening time and time again, and they will continue to occur across the country until we address the situation.”
Wayne MacKay, a Dalhousie University law professor with expertise in public interest law, says Garis and Simpson make a compelling case that the province and municipal governments ought to take seriously. The issue comes down to a cost-benefit analysis, he says.
“The value of a human life is priceless, so the costs involved in saving more lives from tragic fires should be examined by both the provincial and municipal governments,” said MacKay.
“If the costs are considered manageable, then specific laws and municipal bylaws should be considered.”
Garis and Simpson say the need for sprinkler systems is more urgent than ever because modern homes are increasingly built with flammable and carcinogen-laden material, including vinyls, glues, resins and laminates.
“All that material ignites easily, burns quickly and produces toxic off-gassing that exposes residents and firefighters to potentially deadly carcinogens,” said Simpson.
RELATED:
