(Photo credit: Thomas’s Pics/Flickr)
Residents of the Fairview Lodge retirement home in Whitby were forced to evacuate after a fire destroyed the back section of the home.
It was thanks to the staff’s quick actions all 192 residents, many of who have mobility problems and require the use of walkers and wheelchairs, were safely evacuated with no serious injuries. A staff member suffered smoke inhalation and continues to recover at the hospital.
While the cause of the fire remains under investigation and the dollar loss still needs to be determined, the section of the nursing home where the fire started was not equipped with sprinklers, Whitby’s fire chief told CBC News. Fire drills done three times a month likely contributed to a safe evacuation.
Forty four firefighters from surrounding communities helped put the fire out, but the heavy smoke from the blaze led to evacuations at the nearby public school and from about 100 homes near the home. Senior residents were relocated to other nursing homes in the Durham region.
The building wasn’t destroyed and the lodge told CTV News that they plan to rebuild a new home beside the old one.
This situation had the potential to mirror the L’Isle-Verte tragedy in Quebec, but thanks to the staff’s frequent fire drills, any deaths were avoided. But this situation continues to highlight the importance of sprinklers in retirement homes, especially since many residents living there face mobility issues.
Ontario made sprinklers mandatory in retirement homes in 2013, but private facilities have five years to comply and government-owned facilities have until 2025 to comply. This means for some senior residents, it could be about ten years before their nursing homes are properly retrofitted to handle fire hazards.
Until the cause of the fire is determined, who’s liable for the damages can’t be determined. Neinstein’s Erik Joffe wrote about this topic in a piece that was published in the Law Times.
With the expectation that there will be a huge growth in baby boomers, more and more families will be making decisions on where their loved ones will live. Those living in retirement and nursing homes should feel confident that their living space are safe places, whether it’s protecting them from accidents, such as fires or aggressive residents, preventing seniors abuse or preventing use of dangerous drugs.
The personal injury and accident lawyers at Neinstein Personal Injury Lawyers have been handling all types of injuries for over 40 years. We understand the impacts wrongful death can have on your life and we know how to help you. Call us at 416-920-4242. Set up a free consultation and come talk with us.