The Fire Chiefs Association of B.C. and the B.C. Professional Fire Fighters Association have released a joint statement warning of a dangerous amendment the province of British Columbia recently made to its building code that allows for a single exit stairway (SES) in multi-residential buildings.

Permitting residential multi-unit dwellings to reduce their minimum egress stairways down to a single stairway for up to six storeys is a cause for concern. “Layered fire prevention measures encompassing multiple means of egress, fire suppression systems, fire-rated construction, automatic fire alarm systems, compartmentalization, and many other codes provide a reasonable, widely accepted, and nationally developed level of protection,” the letter states. “Drastic changes, such as those proposed, directly contrast with time-tested safety fundamentals.”

Both associations declare the amendment doesn’t adhere to advice from public safety and fire service professional organizations and made the BC Building Code “incongruent with the intent of a harmonized code with the National Building Code.”

“Circumventing the code development process jeopardizes the public, building occupants, and first responders,” said FCABC President Dan Derby. “Much like smoke alarms and carbon monoxide alarms, proper exiting is known to have saved thousands of lives and remains the fundamental building block to life safety.”

They say the single-egress stairway concept is complex and should be evaluated through the national code change process. BCPFFA President Todd Schierling said this allows for “equal, non-biased dialogue between all stakeholders to find consensus.”

B.C.’s planned adoption of single-egress stairways is said to be moving too quickly without supporting data and stakeholder input. The latest Canadian data was also not considered.

There is much to contemplate. Emerging issues such as lithium-ion battery fires make this proposal even riskier, while human movement research on evacuations revealed a negative impact with a single exit.

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