KATIE TURNER

// METRO CALGARY
Published: December 09, 2010 5:32 a.m.
Last modified: December 09, 2010 12:33 a.m.

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Calgary’s fire chief was given the go-ahead to continue lobbying to change the safety code by members of the Community and Protective Services committee yesterday.

“Those recommendations, I believe, tell us to continue to follow the path that we have been following, which is trying to influence code changes at both the federal and provincial level,” said fire chief Bruce Burrell.

Burrell said one of the most important changes that needs to be made to the code in his mind would be making residential sprinklers in new homes mandatory. He said making it optional to install a sprinkler would have very little impact. 

“I would say (the province is) interested. We’re not the only fire department in Canada or in Alberta that is talking to provincial officials about residential sprinklers,” he said.

Stan Schwartzenberger with development and building approvals for the City of Calgary said those changes will take a long time but are necessary.

“It takes multiple years to enable those changes, and for good reason,” he said. “We need that flexibility in the code now to make a Calgary-based solution to the issues we see emerging.”