DISTRICT OF LANGFORD BYLAW NO. 30 — A BYLAW TO REQUIRE AND THE INSTALLATION AND MAINTENANCE OF SMOKE ALARMS.

BYLAW NO. 30

A BYLAW TO REQUIRE AND THE INSTALLATION AND MAINTENANCE OF SMOKE ALARMS.

Whereas under Sections 734 (1) (1) and (m) and section 310 of the Municipal Act. Council of the District of Langford is authorized to require the installation of smoke alarms in existing buildings and structures and, in relation to this, establish standards and specifications for required smoke alarms and their installation, to the extent that the requirements of the bylaw do not exceed those established by the building regulations under Section 740; and require the maintenance of smoke alarms installed as required by regulation under Section 740 to provide for the health, safety and protection of persons and property, and subject to the "Health Act" and the "Fire Services Act" establish standards for their maintenance.

Now Therefore the Council of the District of Langford in open meeting assembled, hereby enacts as follows:

1. DEFINITIONS:

a) "Building" means any structure used or intended for supporting or sheltering any use or occupancy;

b) "Business and personal services occupancy" means the occupancy or use of a building or part thereof for the transaction of business or the rendering or receiving of professional or personal services;

c) "CAN/ULC - S531" means the National Standard of Canada designation for the Standard for Smoke Alarms is adopted, issued under the auspices of the Underwriters Laboratories of Canada;

d) "CAN/ULC - S553" means the National Standard of Canada designation for the Standard for the Installation of Smoke Alarms is adopted, issued under the auspices of the Underwriters' Laboratories of Canada;

"Dwelling unit" means a suite operated as a housekeeping unit, used or intended to be used as a domicile by one or more persons and usually containing cooking, eating, living, sleeping and sanitary facilities;

"Fire Chief" includes the Chief of the Fire Department of the District of Langford, the Deputy Fire Chief, and the Firefighter Inspector;

"Institutional occupancy" means the occupancy or use of a building or part thereof by persons who require special care or treatment because of mental or physical limitations or by persons who are under restraint for correctional purposes and are incapable of self-preservation because of security measures not under their control;

"Occupancy" means the use or intended use of a building or part thereof for the shelter or support of persons, animals or property;

"Smoke alarm" means a combined smoke detector and audible alarm device which:

(i) is designed to sound an alarm within the room or suite in which it is located upon the detection of smoke within the room or suite,

(ii) conforms to the CAN/ULC-S531 Standard for Smoke Alarms, and

(iii) where the smoke alarm is individually battery powered, has an alarm pause button, which when used will reduce the alarm's sensitivity to smoke.

"Suite" means a single room or series of rooms of complementary use, operated under a single tenancy, and includes dwelling units, individual guest rooms in motels, hotels, boarding houses, rooming houses, dormitories and individual stores and individual or complementary rooms for business or personal services occupancies.

2. INSTALLATION:

a) The owner of a building shall install at least one smoke alarm in every dwelling unit and, except for an institutional occupancy of a building required under the British Columbia Building code to have a fire alarm system, in every sleeping room that is not within a dwelling unit.

b) The owner shall install smoke alarms in conformance with the CAN/ULC - S553 Standard for the Installation of Smoke Alarms.

3. TYPE OF SMOKE ALARM

Smoke alarms may be individually battery powered, where:

a) No electricity supply is available; or

b) In retrofit situations where no alteration or addition to a building is involved.

4. TESTING AND MAINTENANCE:

The owner of the dwelling unit or room in which a smoke alarm is installed shall test the alarm at least once every twelve months for the purpose of determining whether or not it performs the functions for which it is designed.

Where the owner installs an individually battery powered smoke alarm, the owner shall install new batteries in the alarm at least once every twelve months.

5. ENFORCEMENT:

The Fire Chief may enter, at all reasonable times, on any property which is subject to this bylaw to ascertain whether or not this bylaw is being observed.

6. OFFENCE:

A person who contravenes a provision of this bylaw is guilty of an offence and is subject to the penalties imposed by the Offence Act.

A person commits a separate offence each day that an offence under subsection (1) continues.

7. EFFECT:

Sections 1 to 6 come into effect upon the adoption of this Bylaw.

8. CITATION:

This bylaw may be cited for all purposes as the "District of Langford Smoke Alarm Bylaw, 1993".

READ a first time this 5th day of October, 1993.

READ a second time this 5th day of October, 1993.

READ a third time this 5th day of October, 1993.

RECONSIDERED AND FINALLY PASSED AND ADOPTED this 19th day of October, 1993.

CERTIFIED CORRECT

(Clerk-Administrator)