Keith Lowe
Contributing W:

‘INCREASED enforcement of the
BC. fire code has North Vancouver

City’s assistant fire chief concerned it
> will fan the flames of civil disconteat.

Dave Burgess, currently the acting fire chief
for’ \North “Vangouver ‘City, believes that
Vietmia's instructions for municipal fre inspec-
tors to force small businesses and apartment
dwellings to remove keyed flecks frons exit doors

» is unsate,

The requirement is in ‘place to ensure the
exits are accessible to peciple who ary in the
building should a fire develop, but until recently
it has never been scrupulously enforced.

~ Burgess has ‘expressed concern that the exist-

. 25-year-old
their existing, plocked parking lot exit.

apartment building, in addition to

The building's strata council, of which

Dunne is a ncember, is reluctant to do that, how-
since it means seriously ¢ compromising the
2s security.

She said there were po locked doors in the
parking area Chat would fidlfill che cade require-

sents if they were walocked, but both offered
aceess to the inside of the building, “T's ridicu-
Jous for us to have to seconstruct our building to
comply with this law, when the way our building
is constructed, it ‘s so easy to get out of dhe park-
ing lot. It’s silly, * Dunne protested,

The plan that one strata member was consid
ening involved leaving tie door to the stairwell
unlocked and constructing another wall with a
locked door at the landing. Dunne estimated the
costs would cun into the thousands of dollars.

According to Dunne, Burgess told her that
the new provincially-applied enforcement stan-
dard would affect some $000 buildings on the
North Shore. _

In his letter, Burgess said the small businesses
that would be specifically affected inciaded:

B computer sales and service;

” Belectronicy sales and service;

ing te uireme
forceabie,
I

Cominissioner, Burgess said, “Many small pusi-

Nesses in owe comnninity have told us they will

not remove the key ‘operated locking  cevice,
because it; is unreasonable: in today's ‘society.

‘They have a greater fear or concern of lasing

thet business and livelihood due to theft, than to
re.

“The probleni as.I see it, is a change i in our

ciety,”, Burgess continued. “We can no longer
go 0 out and leave our doors unlocked and open

for fear of break and enter and home invasions ...

changed enforcement would create a loss of pab-
fic. goodwill, “which will make enforcement of
other, more Serious and reasonable i issues, more
difficult.” "|:

One of | the apartment owners who i is poten:.
tally affected by the new push is Debra Dunne,
who lives in the 30-unit Sandringham Mews on
West :2nd, -a building managed . by. Capilano
‘Condominium Services. 75 © ; :

en advised by Burgess thar’ they ”
will need. to come up with another ¢ exit for the

B jewelry sales and service;
@ security sales and service;
airline travel and ticket sales agencies;
@ post office outlets.
Burgess believes that a change to the existing

fire code would be the best available solution.

His suggestion is to Modif} the cade to waive
the requirements for certain buildings, such as

, Sandringham Mews. His proposed clause and

subclause is:

“If a building is unsprinklered, the require-
ments ... are permitted to be waived for exit and
egress doors ... that serve a floor ares or part of'a
floor area used exclusively fora Group D occu-
pancy with a maximum floor area of 200 sq. m.
and a maximum travel distance of 25-m., and a
Group E occupancy with a maximuni floor area

of 150 sq. m. or a maximum travel distance of 15
m.”

But, in the meantime, Burgess is stuck
entorcing the code. Anyone failing to comply
with his orders is liable for repeated fines until
the code is met.

Dunne ‘said her strata council was getting
quotes on the work necessary, but was in no

., hurry to comply.
“Pm saying we should j just drag or heels on -

it and wait and see until a few other apartment

‘buildings get’on board and ‘start complaining

about i it,” ° she said.

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NORTH Vancouver City acting fire chief Dave Burgess with a nen-complying exit
door. Doors which require a Key | to. be opened contravene tire code regulations.

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