Steinbach city council this week gave final approval to a Fire Prevention and Emergency Services Bylaw. Mayor Chris Goertzen explains the purpose of the bylaw.

"We all know anecdotally what the fire department does but to put it on paper is another thing. So council chose to formalize that over this last year, to make sure that it's clear what responsibilities the fire department has, what powers the fire department has when it comes to emergencies and also, very clearly, what authority they have when it comes to inspections."

Goertzen says it took a little longer than expected to complete the bylaw. That's because the city took the time to make sure the fire department has the authority to inspect any premises to make sure it has the required safety measures. Goertzen notes inspections are common for commercial properties.
But he adds the city is also concerned about some secondary rental properties like basement suites that could be fire traps.

"We want to make sure that everybody in Steinbach is safe, whether you're in a rental suite, whether you're in a commercial space or your own home. This bylaw does give authority to the fire department to inspect places when they want to inspect them. They will have certain criteria that they have to follow but we want to make sure that they can inspect what they deem needs to be inspected so that we can continue to have a safe community for everybody."

Goertzen notes the protocol for these inspections is spelled out in the provincial Fire Prevention and Emergency Response Act.