March 21, 2006
Manitoba’s Fire Commissioner and municipalities would have more authority to enhance public safety for all Manitobans as a result of proposed legislation introduced today by Labour and Immigration Minister Nancy Allan.
"This legislation will provide a clear public benefit by expanding and clarifying the roles of our fire commissioner, local staff and municipalities," said Allan. "We appreciate the participation of the Association of Manitoba Municipalities and the Manitoba Association of Fire Chiefs in helping us develop this legislation to increase our emergency preparedness."
The proposed changes to the Fires Prevention and Emergency Response Act would modernize and clarify a number of areas as well as increase some of the authority and powers provided by the legislation.
The powers of the provincial fire commissioner would be expanded to:
assume command of emergency or disaster-response operations on site and the direction of all responders under the established incident management system when required;
order the closure of buildings or the demolition of structures deemed dangerous to public safety;
set guidelines specific to fire department activities, fire-safety education and fire protection providing direction to local authorities in these areas; and
strengthen enforcement measures when dealing with a contravention of or failure to comply with provincial legislation.
Other significant provisions of the new legislation would include:
raising fines for offences committed by individuals or corporate offenders to be consistent with other provincial jurisdictions;
requiring the local investigation and reporting of all fires to the fire commissioner;
increasing municipal responsibilities and enforcement capabilities to include establishing an incident management system, conducting fire investigations, safety inspections and enforcing fire-code provisions;
allowing the creation of fire protection areas not within the boundaries of a local authority to ensure regular fire inspections are carried out and emergency-response plans are put in place; and
providing support to local law enforcement agencies in specialized operations such as methamphetamine lab take downs.
The new act would also extend the application of the Manitoba Fire Code to municipal and Crown-owned buildings, recognize the certification training provided through the Manitoba Emergency Services College, maintain the Fire Prevention Fund and enable the recovery of costs in certain situations.
"These measures will significantly strengthen and develop Manitoba’s abilities in both prevention and response," said Allan. "This legislation reflects our ongoing commitment to developing sound community protection strategies and improving our response capabilities."
The Office of the Fire Commissioner is responsible for a wide range of fire, safety and emergency services and training. These include fire investigations, fire and building-code inspections, rescue, emergency-response and firefighter training, hazardous-materials response and operation of the Manitoba Urban Search and Rescue team
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