In a “watershed moment” following the tragic events at a Swiss ski resort, the City of Revelstoke is moving swiftly with its fire department to address a major backlog in safety inspections.
The world awoke New Year’s Day to the shocking news that a fire at a packed bar in Crans-Montana, Switzerland, possibly ignited by champagne bottle sparklers, had killed 40 and injured more than 100 others.
After the devastation came outrage, as international media reported that the bar, Le Constellation, hadn’t undergone a safety inspection since 2019.
“This is a sobering reminder that fire inspections are not paperwork exercises — they are a critical public safety function,” Revelstoke Coun. Tim Palmer wrote on Facebook, Jan. 7, “This is a strategic time for every municipality to review their fire inspection standards.”
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Palmer, approached by a resident also concerned about Revelstoke’s building fire safety, requested an update from the city on the status of local inspections.
By committee of the whole last Thursday, Jan. 15, Fire Chief Steven DeRousie of Revelstoke Fire Rescue Services (RFRS) was presenting to council with discouraging news.
“Revelstoke’s fire inspection program faces a significant compliance gap,” DeRousie said.
He noted that roughly 363 of 870 inspectable properties (42 per cent) are overdue for inspection by at least five years. In 2025, 233 properties were inspected, but DeRousie said many buildings remained overdue for a check.
“It seems to me that what happened in Crans-Montana could’ve happened here,” Palmer reflected. “There’s an urgency in addressing this.”
DeRousie said B.C.’s former Fire Services Act of 1996 required annual inspections, whereas the 2024 Fire Safety Act has transitioned compliance to a risk-assessment basis, with an emphasis on inspecting high-risk properties.
With just one RFRS fire inspector, he said 200 to 300 inspections can realistically be carried out per year, including reinspections. He explained that the hope is to allot fire captains “on the floor” to increase 24-7 inspection capacity.
DeRousie proposed an overhaul Thursday of Revelstoke’s 2005 Frequency of Fire Safety Inspections Policy, introducing a revised policy that adopts a risk-based priority schedule to help clear the city’s inspection backlog for high-risk properties.
As per the 2005 policy, properties such as theatres, galleries, libraries, courts, hospitals, medical practices, banks, salons, retailers and lower-hazard industrial operations only need inspection every two years.
But if approved at the council’s next meeting, RFRS’s tiered system will prioritize bars and restaurants, hospitals, senior accommodation, schools and daycares, large residential buildings and assembly occupancies. All these properties would have to be inspected for fire safety within five days of the request.
“This is a watershed moment where the local governments have to look inward and make sure this doesn’t happen,” CAO Evan Parliament said, referring to Crans-Montana. “Unfortunately, in this business, that’s what tragedies do. It wakes us up and reminds us about safety and who we serve.”
Revelstoke already has a Fire Prevention, Protection and Control Services Bylaw, which covers inspections for premises and fire hydrants, as well as a fire prevention standard, for properties where fire systems and equipment fail to meet standards.
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Getting your annual inspection
RFRS isn’t alone in delivering fire safety inspections in town. It also refers businesses to companies such as Revelstoke Fire & Safety, the only other local inspection provider.
The company has operated since 2019 and serves about 500 customers per year, including BC Hydro’s Revelstoke and Mica dams, Mackenzie Village businesses, Revelstoke Mountain Resort, Downie Timber, hotels such as the Regent, and vacation rentals. Its team of four provides 24/7 coverage on all inspection services, and serves additional customers in Sicamous, Salmon Arm, Vernon and Nakusp.
“Quite quickly, I learned that the fire safety world was about way more than fire extinguishers,” Revelstoke Fire & Safety’s Dan Shepherd said.
In fact, there are numerous components of fire safety that need an inspection and cleaning, including commercial hoods and vents, emergency lighting, fire alarms, smoke control, sprinklers and hoses, and kitchen and vehicle suppression systems. Some of Revelstoke Fire & Safety’s most important services are testing fire alarm sensors to ensure they alert RFRS and cleaning out drywall dust that clogs up systems.
“We’re just trying to make it accessible and affordable,” Shepherd said. “I’d like to say we’ve had a good impact and positive influence on the community.”
Inspections take between an hour and a day, varying in price from $200 to $4,000 — “it really comes down to how fast and efficient we can do our job,” he added.
Installing new fire alarm systems can become pricier, between $5,000 and $20,000. Revelstoke Fire & Safety isn’t qualified to install new systems, but can still test them.
“We’re here to protect the public, and it’s in the public’s best interest to know if they’re walking into a building where it’s safe,” Shepherd noted.
It can be challenging to keep systems in both older and newer buildings up to date and ensure customers aren’t falling under the radar.
“What we’ll do as a friendly reminder is, ‘hey, it’s been a year since your last appointment,’” Shepherd said.
“No one thinks of these things until you need them,” he reflected. “We do find a lot of deficiencies.”
Restaurants are a big part of Revelstoke Fire & Safety’s clientele. They get inspections twice per year, particularly because kitchen grease is “basically a liquefied fire starter,” fire suppression system manufacturers aren’t always liable for damage, and insurance can get complicated for restaurateurs who don’t have fire safety, Shepherd explained.
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For properties that fail to schedule routine inspections, “it would be in (RFRS’s) hands for how they deal with this customer,” he said. “If someone’s choosing not to do it, I think that person’s just chosen to make their own prerogative.”
Failed inspections could mean infractions, but Shepherd emphasized that Revelstoke Fire & Safety doesn’t rat people out.
“I’ve never had to do that,” he noted. “When it comes down to being non-compliant, I think that comes down to a personal decision the customer makes.”
Revelstoke’s business licence renewal deadline is coming up Feb. 2, which Shepherd said is “just another way of reminding people” to get their fire safety systems inspected soon. Anyone needing spare parts for their systems can always visit Revelstoke Fire & Safety’s Big Eddy office at 733 Hwy. 23 South.
“I think it’s important that the community knows that we are here to support them,” Shepherd concluded. “If we’re not checking in, then who is checking in, right?”