Complaint Generated Inspections
Post Fire Inspections
License Inspections
Occupancy Inspections
Provincial Day Cares
Provincial Residential Care
Requested Inspections
Scheduled Inspections
Other Miscellanious (tents, requestions)
Fireworks
Burn Permits
Property File Search
Plan Examination

Complaint Generated Inspections
These are inspections generated as a result of complaints received from the general public and from firefighters. The Fire Prevention Branch has no control over the number of complaints received during the year. The number of complaints (other than those for vacant buildings) has continued to decrease over the years due to an improved dissemination of information by means of brochures, guides, etc.

Post Fire Inspections
Inspections conducted as a result of fire occurring in a building. The inspection is conducted to ensure that fire protection and life safety equipment is functioning properly and/or that a building is safe for occupancy. These inspections are identified as a result of information received from the Arson Strike Force.

License Inspections
The Fire Prevention Branch is mandated to conduct these inspections in accordance with the City of Winnipeg licensing requirements. That is, occupancies such as Rooming Houses, Second hand dealers, and others are required to obtain a fire inspection in order to have an operating license issued to them.

Occupancy Inspections
These are inspections conducted as a result of permit and plan review for new building construction, additions and occupancy changes in existing buildings.

Provincial Day Cares
Inspections conducted at the request of the Province for the licensing of Day Care facilities.

Provincial Residential Care
Inspections conducted at the request of the Province for the licensing of Residential Care facilities.

Requested Inspections
The bulk of these inspections are conducted at the request of lawyers, on behalf of their clients, when a property transaction takes place. However, any property owner can request an inspection. There is a fee for this service.

Scheduled Inspections
In 2007 the Province of Manitoba introduced a new Provincial Regulation which requires a fire safety inspection of certain occupancies at a predetermined frequency. The intent of this Regulation is to provide an increased level of safety for the general public.

The new Regulation requires an annual inspection of every:

• Elderly Persons’ Housing Unit or Hostel
• Child Care Centre
• Personal Care Home
• Residential Care Facility
• Hospital.

The new Regulation also requires an inspection once every three years of every:

• Licensed premise as defined in the Liquor Control Act
• Private and public schools including Universities and Colleges
• Recreation Centres including Arenas, Community Clubs and Curling Rinks
• Hotels and motels
• Restaurants located in residential buildings

In order for the Winnipeg Fire Department to meet the obligations of this Regulation, the costs associated with providing this service will be recovered (on a cost recovery basis) by means of inspection fees charged to the business owner and/or facility. These fees took effect as of January 1, 2011. The inspection fee is based on actual inspection time, the Fire Inspector’s report writing time, and travel time for all initial and follow up inspections. Fees are currently set at $93 per hour or part thereof and will be subject to annual increases in accordance with the rate of inflation.

Other Miscelaneous Inspections (tents, requests)
These types of inspections include things as tent inspections at festivals, examining a site where an applicant is requesting a permit to conduct open burning, checking the operation of a smoke alarm in a rental home, etc.

Fireworks
A permit is required for all fireworks. Permits for Consumer Fireworks may be obtained at any fire station.

Burn permits
The number of Burn permits issued varies from year to year. Since 2005, residential back yard burning in fire pits no longer require a permit while all other types of burning require a permit and a permit fee.

Property File Search
At the request of a lawyer, on behalf of a client, a property file search is conducted by the City to determine if there are any outstanding violations and/or Orders from Health, PP&D, or Fire Prevention for a property. A property file search does not generate an inspection, it is merely a search of existing records. Property file searches are coordinated through PP&D and there is also a fee associated with these.

Plan Examination
Fire Prevention provides a plan review service on behalf of Planning, Property and Development Services to ensure that Building Code requirements are met for water supply and firefighting access to buildings. The number of plan examinations is dependant on the volume of commercial construction that occurs.