Further to the tragedy of L’Isle Verte, I propose three measures that
would help private residences for the elderly acquire fire sprinklers: loans guaranteed
by the government of Quebec, tax reductions and an insurance premium reduction.
In the night of January 23 to 24, a major fire
devastated Residence du Havre, a private residence for the elderly at L’Isle
Verte. L’Isle Verte is a municipality of 1 432 people located in the
regional county municipality (RCM) of Rivière du Loup –For the readers who are
not familiar with Quebec, a RCM is a territorial subdivision specific to Quebec
that is made up several municipalities. Residence du Havre was
accommodating 18 autonomous elderly people and 34 other who are coping with a
loss of autonomy. Only 20 of the 52 residents were rescued from the
blaze.
Fire of elderly people residencies is frequent in
Quebec but one as deadly as this goes back to December 2, 1969. That fire devastated Residence Le Repos du vieillard
in Notre-Dame-du-Lac and killed 38 people. The
district of Notre-Dame-du-Lac is currently part of the municipality of
Témiscouata-sur-le-Lac, RCM of Témiscouata.
Touched by the tragedy of l’Isle Verte, many voices
have spoken to ask for the mandatory installation of fire sprinklers in
the residences for the elderly in Quebec. A fire
sprinkler is a protection devise discharging water and other
extinguishing agents in a unit as soon as it detects signs of fire such as
excess temperature. More than half of the private residences for the elderly in
Quebec are made entirely of wood, a combustible material. The installation of
fire sprinklers will help contain fire, reduce the risk of collapse of these
residences in case of disaster and facilitate the evacuation of victims.
In Canada, Ontario is the only province that has
made mandatory since May 2013 fire sprinklers in the private residences for the
elderly and long-term care facilities. According to figures released by the
Ministry of Health and Social Services of Quebec, 1052 out of the 1953 private
residences for the elderly registered in Quebec (about 54 %) are not at
all protected by fire sprinklers.
The cost of installing fire sprinklers in a
residence of 30 living units is about $ 150 000. Financial institutions
are reluctant to finance this investment pretending it does not add to the
value of a residence, a view that I do not share. A residence equipped with
fire sprinklers will by all means be sold quicker and at a higher price than an
identical residence that does not have any. A fire sprinkler constitutes an
advantage in the eyes of any potential buyer. Furthermore, by reducing the
risk of fire spreading, fire sprinklers will protect not only the residences
for the elderly but also neighboring buildings.
The high cost of installing fire sprinklers and the
trouble of getting loans, raise the question of how one could help the owners
of residences to finance a possible mandatory installation of fire sprinklers.
I propose three issues for reflection:
- The setting of a loan program from financial institutions
guaranteed by the government of Quebec,
- A tax return on the interests paid on these loans,
- A reduction by insurance companies of the insurance premiums
paid by the residences that would comply with the standards.
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