Nova Scotia Fire Marshal’s office failing to manage fire and building safety: auditor

A fire extinguisher. Photo: Adobe Stock

Nova Scotia’s auditor general says the provincial Fire Marshal’s office is putting the public at risk in failing to manage fire and building safety despite repeated warnings in a series of audits.

Kim Adair says her report is the third since 2001 that has made similar findings and has also determined that the Fire Marshal’s office is not performing appropriate oversight of its operations.

Released today, the report focuses on buildings serving vulnerable people such as hospitals, schools and long-term care facilities and auditors found that 40 per cent of those fire inspections were completed late.

Adair says the Fire Marshal is not following inspection policy and doesn’t have a complete listing of buildings requiring inspections.

The report also says there are no reviews of inspections, complaints or follow-up inspections by management and no way to determine whether staff are consistently completing inspections.

The audit calls for a comprehensive review of the office’s organizational structure and says a plan is already in place to implement the auditor general’s recommendations.