Prince Edward County council has approved a new sprinkler system for the existing H.J. McFarland Memorial Home.
During Tuesday’s council meeting, council voted to approve installing the new system. The motion called for the municipality to enter into an agreement with Troy Life and Fire Safety to complete needed upgrades to the alarm system, fire panel, and sprinkler system, to bring the building into compliance with the fire code.
The total cost of the project is $476,660 plus taxes. Part of the project will be funded by a grant from the Ministry of Long-Term Care, who is contributing $213,612 to the project.
While the upgrades are being planned to bring the facility into compliance with the fire code, alternative options have been considered. Due to the impending replacement of the building with a new, larger care home, council considered not installing the upgraded system. If no upgrades were carried out, an alternative fire plan would be required by the fire code.
The proposed alternative fire plan included steps such as hourly fire watch checks, frequent fire drills, additional fire extinguishers, training for staff on the use of extinguishers, and banning common fire hazards such as candles or space heaters.
The motion passed with brief debate.
