Laneway Fire Drill proposal

June 10, 2019

From: Jutta Mason <juttamason@gmail.com> Date: Mon, Jun 10, 2019 at 3:59 PM Subject: follow-up re laneway housing "fire drill" To: Derek Collins <Derek.Collins@toronto.ca> Cc: (to 24 neighbours)

Dear Chief Collins,
it is now one month since we spoke on the phone (May 10) about my request to have a neighbourhood "fire drill" in relation to emergency access to laneway houses. You said you would check with the deputy fire chief. I have not heard back from you since then. I sent you one follow-up email with a list of how this fire drill could be structured, but did not hear back.

Here are my suggestions again:
My neighbours are very interested. I think it would be excellent if the following could happen, maybe early on a June weekday evening when the light lasts a long time and people are home from work and school, to come and watch:
1. a firetruck comes to the fire hydrant two doors up from 242 Havelock and connects its hose
2. the crew takes the hose through a standard walkway between two houses, to a garage, tests the water pressure if desired
3. the crew returns the hose to the street and then takes it through the front door and out the back door of our house (242 Havelock -- I am willing), to the garage, so we can all see how your current garage-fire procedure works
4. the engine is driven down the laneway from Bloor Street and then the hose is connected to the street hydrant via the walkway between two houses.

All of this needs to be done so that any problems/blocks can be charted on the basis of actual experience, including any safety risks for fire fighters. That's the "education" part.

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