THE CORPORATION OF THE CITY OF PORT COQUITLAM APR 3 1978

Reasons the Port Coquitlam Fire Department would like City Council to adopt
the National Fire Code of Canada 1977 as their fire By-law.

1.

It has now been assigned as a companion code to the National Building Code
of Canada and both documents refer to each other.

The majority of lower mainland fire departments are now using the National
Fire Code as their Fire By-law.

Right now Port Coquitlam's fire by-laws are not consistent with other neighbouring
municipalities. This presents added burdens on the developers, business members,
and citizens usually at added costs which, of course, are always passed on to
someone else.

The Provincial Government is considering adopting the National Fire Code as the
regulations to the Fire Marshal Act.

Port Coquitlam Fire By-laws are so antiquated at present that the general public
are not afforded the degree of safety, as set down by the National Research
Council, to which they should be entitled as are our neighbours around the
lower mainland. It must be stressed tha“ these documents are a minimum

standard and that most fire and building authorities are constantly striving

to have even these codes upgraded.

The National Fire Code can be described as a house keeping standard. In other
words, what happens to and in a building after it is occupied. The National
Fire Code refers to the N.F.P.A. (National Fire Protection Association) codes.

These standards are recognized throughout the world as good fire engineering
practices for protection of property and life safety. At the present time,

the City of Port Coquitlam cannot legally enforce these standards as can other
municipalities. We can only recommend they be followed. This can give
developers a very cheap way out compared with what is required by our neighbours.
Our standard becomes lower and we invite that type of builder to use us.

Adoption of this code would not prevent the City from retaining or adding to
this code for matters, such as outdoor burning control which we have now in
our present by-law, unless the province adopts it without allowing amendments
as they have with the National Building Code. ’

I feel it is unfair to have a business person do one thing now and then require
them to conform to a different standard when a new code is adopted by the
provincial government. If we do it now, we will be avoiding the extra expense
to our business community that they will face five or less years from now.

RD/alg
March 30th, 1978
More:

See previous report
attached.
Cir Coern