At our April meeting, Frank Donati, Assistant Division Chief of the Fire Services Branch of the City of Ottawa, will inform landlords, real-estate investors and other OREIO members about The Ontario Fire Code, in particular Retrofit 9.5 and 9.8. Mr. Donati will answer questions about what you need to know to ensure your investment properties comply with the Fire Code and keep your tenants safe.
Frank Donati joined the Gloucester Fire Department in 1995 and became part of the Ottawa Fire Service at amalgamation. He was promoted to Fire Prevention Division in 2003 as a Fire Prevention Officer. He was a member of the Retrofit Task Force, created in 2005 to address outstanding multi-tenant residential retrofits. In Oct 2008 Frank was promoted to Assistant Division Chief in Fire Prevention and is currently supervising the Eastern Office and in charge of the Inspections portfolio.
This a great time to remind ALL investors to change the batteries in the smoke detectors in your rental properties. Don't forget to get your tenants to sign a document stating that they have a working smoke detector in their unit, that the batteries have been replaced and that they agree not to remove the detector from your rental unit. Keep this signed document on file. It's a great business practice and provides both you and the tenant with protection. (See http://www.ofm.gov.on.ca/english/publications/guidelines/pdf/smchklst.pdf for an example form.)
We also have our annual OREIO elections this month, where all current paid-up OREIO members who attend the meeting are eligible to vote and run for a position.
If you are an existing OREIO member who is interested in running for a position, please submit your name to the President via the Contact page. All candidates must send in their names by Friday, April 17th.
See you at the April meeting!