The days of free re-inspections for buildings that have failed fire inspections in Burnaby appear to be numbered.
City staff are working on an amendment to the fire services bylaw that would see the fire department charge $500 each time it has to re-inspect an out-of-compliance building.
Under the current bylaw, the department provides fire inspections free of charge. For owners who’ve been ordered to fix deficiencies, the first re-inspection is also free. The department then charges $100 for a second re-inspection, $300 for a third or fourth re-inspection, and $500 for any re-inspections after that.
But that has put a strain on the fire department’s resources, according to fire Chief Chris Bowcock, and he says local building owners appear to be taking advantage of the freebies and low fees to avoid addressing deficiencies in their buildings.
“The BFD has identified a continuing and significant trend in non-compliance between inspection and the improper utilization of a no-charge re-inspection as a no-penalty form of extending non-compliance,” stated a report Bowcock presented to city council in May.
Bowcock said the fire department conducted 402 free re-inspections in 2020 and 96 in the first quarter of 2021, but those numbers might actually be on the low side because of COVID.
The fire chief asked city council to amend the city’s fire services bylaw so building owners would be charged $500 for each re-inspection.
The fees would go into the fire department’s coffers, according to Bowcock, to offset the staffing costs of the re-inspections.
Council approved his recommendation, and a proposed bylaw amendment will be back before city council for approval at a future meeting.
Follow Cornelia Naylor on Twitter @CorNaylor
Email cnaylor@burnabynow.com
