Building Owner in Woodstock Pleads Guilty To Fire Code Charges

Friday, 27 November 2015 07:18

A building owner in Woodstock will be out over $15 000 after being charged with violating the Ontario Fire Code.

WOODSTOCK - A building owner in Woodstock is facing over $15 000 of fines under the Ontario Fire Code.

Woodstock Fire was first tipped off to concerns at 486-488 Dundas Street back in February of 2015. When they inspected the three storey residential/commercial building with seven residential units they found several infractions under the Fire Code relating to the building owner failing to complete regular maintenance of the fire protection systems and non-compliance with several Retrofit provisions.

On November 20th the building owner, Hussein Zabian, appeared at court to answer to the charges. He entered a guilty plea to 10 charges including:

- failure to prepare written records of tests for emergency lights and smoke alarms installed in (all seven dwelling units)
- failure to ensure smoke alarms were maintained in operating condition (five units)
- failure to ensure monthly and annual tests on emergency lighting units
- failure to prepare and implement an approved fire safety plan
- failure to ensure doors in a fire separations were maintained operable at all times to ensure proper closing and latching (3 door total)
- failure to ensure door in fire separation was equipped with a self-closing device
- failure to ensure combustible materials were not accumulating in any part of exit corridor
- failure to ensure public exit corridor is adequately illuminated
- failure to ensure fire escape used as an exit was of stair-type in accordance with the building code
- failure to ensure fire escape doorway openings and window openings were protected in accordance the building code

In total, the fines along with court costs and victim surcharge amounts to $15 625.

In a media release Fire Chief Scott Tegler says, "The responsibility for ensuring that the fire safety measures in a building are maintained in conformance with the Ontario Fire Code rests with the building owner. Failure to do so will result in prosecution."

Zabian has since contacted Heart FM and assures us that he has worked and is working on bring his buildings up to code.