Attention High-Rise Residents: The Importance of Your Suite Door in Fire Safety

As a resident in a high-rise, have you ever thought about the role your suite door plays in your safety? The recent high-rise fire in Ottawa, Ontario that left an entire floor uninhabitable is a stark reminder of how crucial proper door function is for fire and smoke containment.

Whether it’s a malfunctioning door closer, a resident propping the door open to clear initial smoke, or even floor mats and decorations obstructing its closure, these seemingly small oversights can have devastating consequences.

Thankfully there was no injuries to occupants, but its important to recognize that these oversights can cause additional risks to responding fire service personnel.

In Ontario, fire doors and closures are inspected every 30 days, typically by building superintendents or security staff to ensure the smaller "compartments" are maintained within the building. These include closures to stairwells, and service and mechanical rooms. However, resident suite doors are only checked annually. Given this, it’s vital for building managers to emphasize to residents the importance of reporting any issues with their suite doors to management. In fact, as a best practice, this vital information should be found in your building's approved fire safety plan as one of the roles and responsibilities for Residents.

Together, we can enhance safety for everyone! hashtag#highrise hashtag#verticalcity hashtag#firesafetyteamapproach

For more details on the incident, check out the article here: https://ottawa.citynews.ca/2024/10/17/highrise-fire-leaves-entire-11th-floor-of-south-end-building-uninhabitable/