Fire inspectors and smoke detectors
I had a visit last week from the fire inspectors. They gave me a new kind of smoke detector (with a ten-year battery) and told me they would be back sometime to verify it had been installed, and if it wasn’t, I could be fined thousands of dollars.
Anyone have a sense how long they wait before coming back? Anyone been fined connected with this?
Patrick 12:33 on 2020-07-22 Permalink
Got one last year and they did come by approximately a year after. I had to push the test button to prove it was installed and working. Not sure about the fines.
GC 13:08 on 2020-07-22 Permalink
Isn’t that kind of your landlord’s responsibility, if you are renting? (Maybe you are not, but I thought you were based on things you’ve said in the past…)
dwgs 13:27 on 2020-07-22 Permalink
They’re generally dead simple to install. All you need is a screwdriver. If you want to be talked through it just shoot me an email.
Bert 13:37 on 2020-07-22 Permalink
According to the Montreal FD it is the owner who is responsible to provide and install them: http://ville.montreal.qc.ca/sim/en/smoke-alarm-faqs
That said, once a renter is in the place, the renter must have some responsibility. I have heard first hand stories where renters disconnect detectors because of false alarms, particularly around the kitchen.
Kate 13:58 on 2020-07-22 Permalink
GC, I do rent. I asked them about the landlord’s responsibility and they said nonono, it’s on you. They didn’t say why, but I think it may be because I live in a classic Montreal triplex with doors to the street and thus no common areas indoors.
dwgs, I have a ladder and a power drill and so on, but this is the thing: they said it has to go on the ceiling, and I’m short.
Bert, everyone: I have had a smoke detector but yes, I’ve taken it down because it was impossible to cook anything without having it go off, making me and the cat jump out of our skins, and having to climb on a chair and poke at it with a stick. Couldn’t boil up a pot of pasta without the damn thing going off. There’s no range hood here, so it’s all a bit iffy. (I pointed out once that there should be, and the landlord blew it off. A range hood is not something a tenant should be putting in.)
I will install this smoke detector, or have it installed, a little further away from the kitchen.
I can be called foolish for taking down the smoke detector, but I know I have a very acute sense of smell, especially for burning things. When I lived in the Plateau north of Duluth, one winter night I woke up, certain I could smell fire. I scouted around the immediate area, and while I could smell something burning, it was clearly not close by. Found out the next morning that there had been a fire – down on Ste-Catherine Street. More recently, about ten years ago, there were forest fires outside town and wind was coming from that direction in the wee hours. It woke me, and I got online and posted and tweeted and had a pile of grateful responses from people who woke up later than me with the same thought – something’s on fire nearby. But I woke up first.
So I don’t lose sleep over this. If something’s on fire, I’ll wake up. But I know I have to do what they said, or risk a fine.
By the way, I must be getting on. The inspectors looked really young. Or maybe they’re a sort of cadet stagiaire?
Tee Owe 14:32 on 2020-07-22 Permalink
Install away from the stove – that’s actually consistent with what they are meant for. Better to have them than not
It just needs a screwdriver, a stepladder is a good thing to have (or borrow), even for those of us who are less-than-short.
As for the perceived age of agents and fonctionnaires, they just keep getting younger, don’t they – !
Ephraim 17:26 on 2020-07-22 Permalink
Install in hall in front f bedroom door or in the centre of the apartment. You should have one in the bedroom. I only install 10 year interconnected alarms now. So if one goes off, the all go off. The Carbon Monoxide detector isn’t needed if you don’t have a fireplace or gas appliance… but having one makes some people feel safer.
JP 22:26 on 2020-07-22 Permalink
Did they give you any notice that they were coming? How do we know if we can trust the people who come by to inspect and that they are who they say they are? I’m genuinely asking. I really don’t like letting people I don’t know into my home, particularly when nobody else is home.
Kate 22:47 on 2020-07-22 Permalink
JP, no notice. But I’m certain they were what they claimed to be. They were clean-cut young men with fire department patches on their shirts, and clipboards, wearing masks. It was mid-afternoon. Also, they gave me a smoke detector and hung some slick-looking printed material on my neighbours’ doorknob, presumably because they weren’t home.
Preparing all these props would hardly have been worth it to get inside my place.
JP 22:51 on 2020-07-22 Permalink
Thanks Kate. That’s reassuring. I’m sure it was legitimate. I guess I’m just letting my imagination get the better of me.
Ian 11:11 on 2020-07-23 Permalink
I saw a notice to this effect up at the local hardware store in Mile End but haven’t heard anything from the fire department at all… I wonder if the inspectors coming around is a borough initiative.
Kate 12:34 on 2020-07-23 Permalink
Here’s a rough floor plan, not exact as to dimensions but pretty close. Am I planning to install the new smoke detector in a bad spot? It really wasn’t supportable in the old location. NB this is a ground-floor apartment.
Andrew 14:16 on 2020-07-23 Permalink
I know you can’t beat free and you’ve already got it, but when I replaced mine I figured spread over 10 years a WiFi connected smoke detector is not that expensive, and I can’t reach mine either. The Nest Protect is supposed to be better at differentiating humidity from smoke, will give you a “head’s up” alarm before going full blast, and can be silenced from the app. Also you’ll get a notification if it goes off when you’re not home.
Tee Owe 14:33 on 2020-07-23 Permalink
Couple of points – when they go off wrongly, just wave a teatowel at them, no need for sticks. The location you propose looks good to me. We have a house, one per floor, centrally located (and away from the kitchen). Only occasional false alarms. Glad to have them, feel safer. No comment/no knowledge about Wifi alarms. Good luck!
Kate 22:22 on 2020-07-23 Permalink
Andrew: I had a look for those and they’re always around $150, which I could manage, but they also need to be wired in, which I’ve no right to do here. Nice idea though – if I owned this place I’d probably get one.
Tee Owe: Thanks for the advice. When they go off I simply have this need to MAKE IT STOP, I guess.
Dhomas 05:04 on 2020-07-24 Permalink
@Kate there is a wired version of the Nest Protect, as well as a battery version. They sometimes go on sale for around 99$. I have mine set up in the kitchen and it only goes off when there is “real” smoke. Disabling the alarm via the app has been very useful.