The provincial government has been side stepping the issue of making fire sprinkler systems mandatory in long term care and retirement facilities for the past 10 years.
With 3 inquests in the past couple of years that have recommended sprinklers and a report by the Ontario Fire Chiefs, you would think that the decision would be close at hand.
With the inquest about to start on Monday into an Orillia retirement home fire that resulted in 4 deaths and 11 critical injuries to residents, the province attempts to pre-empt the logical recommendations by asking the Fire Marshall to take the next year to study the issue. While it may seem like sprinklers would only be a year away, the issue then has to go through the political system required to create new laws. This can take many months.
More lives will be lost in the mean time.
http://www.thestar.com/news/canada/politics/article/1160739--fire-marshall-to-conduct-review-on-seniors-homes
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