O’Byrnes Irish Pub Fined $3,000 for Overcrowding

July 05, 2012

On June 8, 2012, O’Byrne's Irish pub pleaded guilty to a charge of overcrowding and received a $3,000 fine.

The violation took place on March 17, 2012. Edmonton police officers found approximately 680 people in the establishment, 70% more than its limit of 399. City fire officials subsequently charged O’Byrne's.

“These limits on overcrowding help protect the public at Edmonton establishments,” said Patricia Young, fire prevention officer. “We set the occupancy loads after taking into account the amount of floor space as well as the number, locations and sizes of fire exits. Our goal is to reduce the chance of a bottleneck if there’s a need for guests and staff to evacuate during an emergency.”

Businesses can be fined up to $15,000 for a first overcrowding offence, and up to $30,000 for subsequent violations. Provincial Courts determine the amount of the fine.

“We seldom see multiple infractions. Fire Rescue does hundreds of inspections every year. We’ve found the majority of local businesses are as interested in public safety as we are and put in a real effort to meet all safety standards,” said Young.

Occupancy loads are set by Edmonton Fire Rescue and monitored by Edmonton Police, the Public Safety Compliance Team and by fire officials during routine inspections.

For more information:

Tim Wilson

Edmonton Fire Rescue Services

Title	Public Information Officer
Telephone	780-496-3600 780-886-3335