Maintenance and Repairs

May 10, 2024 Published by London and Area Chapter - By Paul Baxter

Smoke Detectors Saved Lives, Again!

From the CCI Review 2023/2024-3 March 2024 issue of the CCI London Chapter

To restate the obvious, make sure your detectors are not expired and change the batteries regularly. I say change the batteries as testing only ensures the battery is good as of the moment you test it. The $10.00 investment to change all the batteries in all your detectors is well worth the peace of mind. I know the environmentalist won’t care for this comment; but better safe than sorry in, my opinion.

Do you know everything about the law on Smoke Alarms and Carbon Monoxide Alarms?

The Ontario Association of Fire Chiefs make the following recommendations relative to maintaining your smoke alarms:

• Install smoke alarms outside every sleeping area and on every level of your home, including the basement; recommended the alarms be placed on the ceiling as smoke rises.
• Test smoke alarms monthly. Change all smoke alarm batteries at least once a year.
• If your smoke alarm is more than 10 years old, replace it.
  On October 15, 2014, the Ontario Government formally enacted The Hawkins- Gignac Act, making carbon monoxide alarms mandatory in all Ontario homes at risk of CO. See more about this law here and here.

The unit with the fire was unoccupied at the time of the fire; however, the smoke alarms were sounding to get the attention of neighboring unit owners and passers-by. In multi-residential townhouse units, adjoining neighbours should also exit their units for safety sake.

Do you have a Fire Escape Plan and is every resident in your unit familiar with it?

Fire and smoke move quickly. Every resident should have a fire escape plan for every situation. Make sure that everyone residing in the unit is familiar with the escape routes and meeting place. For example: if fire is in the roof, how do we get out? Or, if fire is in the basement/main floor, stairway/main door is impassable, how do we get out? To help you develop your plan for your own safety and that of others, see here.

For other multi-residential units, the corporation is required to have a Fire Safety Plan. The User Guide for Completion of the plan can be found here.

The Ontario Fire Code O. Reg 213/07 as amended requires a Fire Safety Plan (Division B Section 2.8) for many properties and businesses. The Ontario Fire Code requires every Fire Safety Plan to be reviewed and approved by the Chief Fire Official of your local Fire Department. The plan is required to be reviewed annually by the building owner and any changes made be submitted to the London Fire Department. For assistance, contact the Fire Safety Plans, 400 Horton Street East, FireSafetyPlan@london.ca

Have you registered your Emergency Contact Information with management?

Whether you lease or reside in the unit, emergency contact information should be on hand and updated as needed with the manager. There are always good reasons for this to happen.

If your unit is rented out, or if you are leaving for an extended period of time, it is essential to have a local emergency contact. Advise neighbors and the manager who to call. Out of town owners need to have someone who can step in and manage their unit in emergency situations. Where language may be an issue, it’s important that a contact be 100% fluent and able to communicate during such serious events.

In this particular case, the corporation had to act on the owners’ behalf as they were not reachable by phone or email in a timely manner. The manager and corporation made best decisions on their behalf, but this is not ideal.

The fire department has to sign the unit over to the unit owner once they clear the unit and complete their process. If there had been a local representative for the unit owner, I am confident some personal items may have been salvaged once the fire department left. For this situation, the corporation did not touch any of the belongings and I expect they were further damaged while remaining in the wet and smoky environment.

Another reason for resident information and emergency contact information is to mitigate damage to their belongings and those of neighbouring units. Depending on the severity and longevity of the event, removing cars, Picasso paintings, pets, crown jewels, can lessen further damages.

Responsibilities of landlords and tenants

Owners are required to notify the condominium corporation and give them Tenant Information (name(s), a copy or summary of the tenancy agreement (Section 83(1) of the Condominium Act) and update tenant information when change happens.at the same time the tenants have responsibilities as well. This information is critically important in an emergency crisis such as a fire.

Imagine if you will, the tenant on record receiving an alarming call from the Fire Department about “a fire at the rented unit and their belongings being burnt” when they no longer live in it. [“oops sorry, you don’t live there any more, have a great night”]

Landlords and tenants need to understand their legal rights and responsibilities. Tenants should review the CAO’s Condo Tenants’ Guide can be found here.

Management teamwork and connections

Management companies have contacts for restoration companies. While calls to their 24/7 Emergency Services Line do work, it may be more efficient to call the company employee directly to get things rolling. We were able to get a response from WINMAR® London, Property Restoration Specialists Services within 10 minutes of being made aware of the event and they were on-site within 40 minutes.

Another restoration company we deal with called me directly to see if we needed assistance after seeing the event on the local news. The Corporation’s Insurance Broker also reached out for the same reason. Direct and personal contacts will result in timely service with the insurance broker/adjuster.

Board involvement and communication

Board involvement and communication was very rapid. A director was able to provide all the required details to the manager and was available on-site for quite some time during the event. He was able to provide calm re-assurance to all residents and put their minds at ease that all the proper entities were aware and mobilizing the proper contractors to mitigate all damage. The neighboring unit had water and smoke damage.

Owner co-operation with the process is essential

Owners of adjoining units also have responsibilities to ensure that any damage to their units is reviewed and processed for safety. The restoration companies have a job to do. Providing access to the adjoining units will ensure that there are no hidden concerns which an owner may not see. “Everything is fine” is not the answer; however well intentioned. The board and the manager have responsibilities to protect the assets of the property, so their process to ensure this is done following an event such as fire is critical to that end as is owner co-operation.

What does/should the manager bring to the site in an emergency situation?

The Managers should bring unit owner and tenant information to the site. The Fire Department will ask for it. As a manager, your function is very limited until the fire department releases the unit. Announce who you are and where you will be, and then step aside until the fire department/police comes to you (they will appreciate this).

Insurance: Know Your Policy

………… love to hate them, hate to love them. It is best not to wait until you NEED to review your insurance policy to see if it will protect you against a financial loss under any circumstance; rather, it is important that you review and ask questions to ensure you are properly protected in any eventuality. We have seen too many instances where insurance was not adequate.

Contrary to misinformation that owners or tenants may have, while there is a policy that the corporation has, it does not cover what owners are responsible for.

From the Insurance Bureau of Canada: Your policy is a legal document. You have a responsibility to understand what is and is not included in the policy.

As a condominium owner/landlord and tenant it is important to get the appropriate policy. There are different insurance requirements for owner landlords and tenants. And you should know what exactly to do in the case of an event. The manager is not familiar with your policies, so ensure you know what the plan of action is required by your insurance provider.

It’s important to note that the Standard Unit By-law of the corporations list of items that the condo corporation considers part of a standard unit.

The myths that you should avoid

There are those myths that don’t get talked about; but surely important when you least expect it. Of course, we would all like to think “it will never happen to me”. Perhaps that is the biggest myth out there.

For example, as a tenant, the contents of a unit, furniture, electronics, clothing or appliance can create a huge expensive proposition to replace if it gets damaged and a lot more than rental insurance.

An owner has to consider any betterments that have been done in the unit. These are their responsibility to insure. For the owner and/or tenant, displacement or relocation coverage can be critical.

For an owner or a tenant displacement or relocation coverage if the unit become uninhabitable can be helpful and otherwise costly until you find a new place to live. For example: this unit will not be able to be occupied for some time. It will be a financial disaster if an owner/tenant needs to pay for alternate accommodation. The extra premium for this coverage is relatively small and will remove the financial stress from an already stressful situation.

The Insurance Deductible for this event shows the source unit will be responsible for the insurance deductible which is $5,000. Also, depending on the cause of a fire, the source unit could be responsible for other/further expenses. Again, better to have insurance and not need it than to need it and not have it.

Is now a good time to review your policy?

Do you have sufficient contents and betterments insurance? Lots of items and contents were lost or damaged in this event. Make sure your limits are sufficient as inflation has induced higher limit requirements on pretty much everything. As a unit owner, understand what is covered under what/who’s insurance policy. As a unit owner, you should have an idea of your course of action in the event of a major flood or fire.

Going away? What does your policy say about protecting your unit?

If you are going to be away from your unit for an extended period of time, unplug and or turn off all electrical items. Turn off breakers for items or areas not needing electricity in your absence if you are comfortable doing so (remember to leave the heat on so your pipes do not freeze). What does your policy say about someone checking the unit and how often?

The less current running through wires, the less chance of an electrical fire. And turn off your water while you are at it.

Additional Notes from the Editor about Risk Management

Every occurrence of such a crisis, reinforces our need to take appropriate precautions and actions to risk management. It is recommended by professionals that we be knowledgeable about the fire safety legislation and Ontario’s Fire Code, a regulation under the Fire Protection and Prevention Act, 1997 https://www.ontario.ca/laws/statute/97f04

It’s important to know what you can do to avoid having an attic fire happen to you as well. Here are some tips to help minimize the chance that electrical fires can start:

To prevent a blown circuit breaker, keep the number of cables plugged into a single outlet or power strip to a minimum.

• Remove any other flammable items you can and try to keep your attic clean and clutter-free.
• Keep combustible things out of the attic.
• Take out any extra lint or trash from the attic.
• Vents should be regularly cleared of debris such as lint and dust.
• As water may cause electrical components to fail, look for a leaky roof. If you find a leak in your roof, call an expert right once to get it fixed.
• Do regular checks of your attic and any electrical equipment inside to ensure no chewed-through wires and that heating and cooling units aren’t overheating, damaged, or full of debris that can fuel a fire.
• Install a smoke alarm in your attic for early detection. There’s a good chance you can stop a fire from breaking out with smoke detectors alerting you.

You can also have a home inspector check for any issues with your electrical system as well as other fire sources if possible. Electrical issues can start a fire anywhere in your home, but they are potentially worse in the confined space of an attic or crawlspace. Here is what you can do to prevent a fire due to electrical problems: Avoid plugging too many cords into one electrical outlet or power strip. Don’t misuse any electronics you have plugged in up in the attic.

Electrical fire sources/circuit overload

Believe it or not, electrical fires are the most common type of fire each year. They often happen after pests start living in your attic and chew through wires or damage the attic fan for example. This results in exposed wires having a higher risk of sparking and causing a fire due to the insulation getting chewed away. Other times, your breaker can overload and spark.

Attics somewhat tend to be a good source of flammable materials which can result in a fire breaking out.

It’s an even bigger problem if lint has built up in them. Lint is highly flammable and can offer a way the fire to grow larger.

A most often asked question – can we turn off the drying equipment at night?

The recommendation is not to as prolonged exposure to moisture increases risk for a longer drying time which would increase secondary damages like mould.

As always, think safety first.

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Paul Baxter, RCM, ACCI, OLCM is a Senior Condominium Manager with Thorne Property Management Ltd.

Paul has held his General License, RCM, and ACCI accreditations since 2017. Coming from an extensive hospitality background, Paul’s project and time management, understanding of governance, as well as client service standards continue to prove to be valuable assets in his role of serving condominium communities.

Through various experiences on industry, municipal, and provincial committees, boards, and councils, Paul’s understanding and appreciation for process will ensure his residents, unit owners, boards and corporations will receive a high level of efficient and qualified services.