Two more seniors in Ontario have perished needlessly when fire struck their retirement home that wasn't equipped with an automatic sprinkler system. These latest deaths are especially tragic, considering they coincided with the release of a coroner's report on care facility fire fatalities.
The latest report, the fourth since 1980, strongly recommends the retroactive installation of sprinklers in ALL care facilities--a recommendation the Ontario Association of Fire Chiefs asserts must be implemented as soon as possible.
Yet Community Safety Minister Meilleur would rather waste time with a "technical consultation" review that could take up to a year to complete.
48 seniors have died since the first inquest in 1980. How many more must die before urgently needed fire safety regulations are put in place?
Let Minister Meilleur know that any unnecesary delay in protecting our vulnerable seniors is morally reprehensible, if not criminally negligent.
Dear Community Safety Minister Madeleine Meilleur,
We urge you to act on the recommendations of the latest coroner's report on care facility fire fatalities with as great a sense of urgency as you would have if it were YOUR family member residing in one.
We implore you not to delay any further the implementation of common-sense regulations that could easily prevent the needless death of our vulnerable loved ones.
After 48 deaths and four inquests, further study on the urgent need for these regulations should not be required.
Thank you.
