Firefighters Raise ‘Serious Concerns’ About Updated BC Building Code Allowing Single-Stairwell Apartments

Firefighters Raise ‘Serious Concerns’ About Updated BC Building Code Allowing Single-Stairwell Apartments
A construction worker is seen on top of a low-rise condo development being built in Coquitlam, B.C., on May 16, 2023. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck
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British Columbia has changed its building code to permit single egress stair designs in low-rise and mid-rise buildings as a way to increase housing development, but it’s a move that has some fire officials raising safety concerns.

The change to the B.C. Building Code allows buildings up to six storeys to have one exit stairwell instead of two, Housing Minister Ravi Kahlon announced last week.
Jennifer Cowan
Jennifer Cowan
Author
Jennifer Cowan is a writer and editor with the Canadian edition of The Epoch Times.