Whereas the Fire Safety Act came into effect on August 1, 2024 and now requires local governments to appoint fire investigators inspectors across their jurisdictions but in particular for those areas that may not have fire protection or are challenging to access due to remoteness; And whereas local governments, particularly in rural and remote areas, face significant logistical and resource challenges and do not have staff or funding in place to do inspectionsinvestigations: Therefore be it resolved that UBCM request the provincial government, as stated in the recently released Fire Safety Act, have the Local Fire Service Advisors perform fire inspections and investigations for regional districts and have it be continued in perpetuity.
Ministry of Public Safety and Solicitor General The Office of the Fire Commissioner OFC, in collaboration with UBCM, developed the Fire Safety Act: Regional District Fire Inspection and Fire Investigation Procedure. This procedure sets out the OFCs approach to assisting regional districts in meeting the requirements of the Fire Safety Act, which came into effect on August 1, 2024. These requirements include ensuring fire inspections and investigations are carried out, particularly in areas without fire protection or those that are difficult to access. To support regional districts, the Office of the Fire Commissioner Fire Service Advisors are available to support fire inspections and investigations upon request. This service helps regional districts comply with legislative requirements while alleviating resource and logistical challenges faced by local governments. The Office of the Fire Commissioner remains committed to working collaboratively with regional districts to support them with the legislative obligations of the Fire Safety Act.