Seniors home deemed unsafe for 5 residents after fire drill flop

Two peoplecontinue to livein "unsafe" conditions at an unlicensed seniorshome in Waverley, N.S., after a fire drill revealed half of itsresidents would beunable to escape the buildingwithout help.

Halifax Regional Fire and Emergency told five residents ofThe Adelaide they needed to move out as result of the planneddaytime drill on Feb. 20.

Three of the residents have since found alternate housing, while two remain at the picturesque,Victorian-style home about a 25-minute drive from Halifax.

"Right now they're in an unsafe situation," said Matt Covey, division chief of fire prevention with Halifax Fire.

"I think the issue is, during the event of a fire or emergency, they're unable to get out of the building in the time they need in order to be safe."

The Adelaide describes itself online as a "24-hour assisted senior care home."

Covey said the residence which is approved as a bed and breakfast, but operating as a care facility has been on the fire department's radar for years.

He said the department asked the owners in 2016 to start looking atconverting the residence to meet the proper building classification for a seniorscare facility.

At the time, Covey said there wasn't as great of a concern around a potential evacuation. However,as the residents have gotten older and their conditions have changed or deteriorated, theconcern has grown.

"They've [the owners]had plenty of time up to this point. We're now at the point where especially with the fire drill having taken place we can't wait any longer," said Covey, who added that there's been open, back-and-forth communication with the owners.

"We've given them every opportunity to look at modifying their building, they've chosen not to do that, so now we have to go down this route."

Compliance order

The fire department issued a compliance order to the owners of The Adelaide on March 1 demanding, among other things, that non-ambulatory residents berelocated until the building meets the code requirements for a care facility. The deadline is March 31.

Co-owner JodyMunnof Fredericton declined to be interviewed,buttold CBC News people like living at The Adelaide because it feels like a B&B and is homey.

Munn said it's common for aging people to move out when their care needs increase over time.

The home is now only accepting seniors who are able to leave on their own in an emergency, Munn said.

Changes required

Covey said if The Adelaide wants to obtain the proper classification for a care facility, a number of changes would have to take place.

For instance, care facilitiesarerequired to have an alarm anda sprinkler system.As well, combustible buildings can only be two storeys, he said.

"This building is three storeys and it's combustible and it doesn't have a sprinkler system," said Covey.

Fire officials will return April 1 for a followup inspection. According to the order, co-owners could be fined or face imprisonment for not complying.