The Orangeville Fire Department has laid 28 charges alleging violations of the Ontario Fire Code against the Baywinds Retirement Centre at 236 First Street.

An unprecedented number laid by the Orangeville Fire Department at a single address, the charges were laid under the Fire Protection and Prevention Act.

Constructed in the 1950s as the Myrmac Motel — named after local jeweller Myr Morrow and J. A. (Mac) Maude, Orangeville's mayor from 1955 to 1962 — the Baywinds currently has emergency accommodation plus more permanent housing, and is owned by a numbered company based in Hamilton.

The charges include failure to maintain smoke alarms, failure to maintain a fire alarm system in operating condition, failure to ensure a portable fire extinguisher was easily seen and accessible, failure to ensure exit signs were illuminated while the building was occupied, failure to implement a fire safety plan, failure to ensure that emergency lighting units were tested monthly, failure to ensure portable fire extinguishers were maintained, failure to ensure that commercial cooking equipment in the kitchen is provided with an exhaust system in conformance with regulations, and failure to ensure that records of fire drills are kept for 12 months following each drill.

The charges were laid following an inspection by the Orangeville Fire Department following a complaint from a fire suppression crew that had responded to a medical emergency.

The charges will be dealt with in Ontario Court in Orangeville on March 18.

Maximum fine for a corporation convicted of contravening the Ontario Fire Code is $100,000 for each offence. Directors or officers of the corporation that knowingly commit Ontario Fire Code offences are liable to fines up to $50,000 or one year in jail or both.

"It's the responsibility of building owners to comply with the requirements of the Ontario Fire Code," said Orangeville Fire Chief Andy Macintosh.

"By ensuring their buildings are in compliance, lives and property will be saved in the event of a fire."

The Orangeville Fire Department makes an effort to work with the owners of buildings to achieve compliance with the Ontario Fire Code requirements. Contraventions of the Fire Code are chargeable upon discovery.

In 2007, 11 charges were laid against an Orangeville landlord for Fire Code violations. In that case, the landlord pled guilty and was required to pay $4,400 in fines.