Introduction

In the fourth quarter of 2005, the City of Abbotsford, BC, put 27 marijuana grow operations out of business, through an innovative new program that is managed outside of the criminal justice system. The Abbotsford Public Safety Inspection Team, which shuts down these residential operations to ensure the safety of the public and firefighters, has attracted attention from city leaders across the country who are seeking to address the rampant rise in grow operations.

Thermal imagers are an important tool in managing the early part of the investigation process, lending confidence and credibility to the background work that leads up to shutting down an active grow operation.

Abbotsford’s Grow Operations Task Force

The objective of the Abbotsford Grow Operation Task Force is to eliminate, in particular from residential neighborhoods, marijuana grow operations and the associated public and firefighter safety risks. Through the BC Safety Authority and under the authority of the Community Charter and Fire Services Act, local authorities in British Columbia have the jurisdiction to inspect electrical installations in which a potential fire hazard has been identified.

Abbotsford Fire Chief Richard Lawrie supports the Public Safety Inspection Team (PSIT) by partnering with PSIT Manager Rod Clemons and supplying one or more qualified Local Assistants to the Fire Commissioner to aid the Team. “There are serious evidentiary restrictions on police entry into a residence. The police can’t enter unless they have cold, hard evidence of a crime.” he explained. “This program is managed outside of the criminal justice system, addressing public and firefighter safety, using safety related authority to enter and eliminate the hazards. We can enter if we suspect a fire hazard exists. If the owner or occupant does not voluntarily allow entry, we can quickly attain a warrant under BC’s Community Charter.”

Public Safety Concerns

The City of Abbotsford Public Safety Inspection Team is a response to the alarming increase in drug operations in the city and across the province. Chief Lawrie says a number of public safety concerns can result from operating a grow house.

“The likelihood of a fire is 40 times greater in homes that house grow operations,” Chief Lawrie reported. “Before the task force operated, 15 to 20 percent of our calls were related to grow operations fires. That number has dropped to almost zero.”

Of the 30 properties that were inspected in 2005, Assistant Fire Chief Mike Helmer says about 70 percent of occupants had rigged electrical lines to create an electrical bypass, so high energy consumption wouldn’t be noticed. “They bring power directly off the pole, which results in 400 or 500 volts of electricity,” he said. “There have been cases of fatalities to people who have cut into the main line and electrocuted themselves in the process.”

Helmer notes that people who establish grow operations often run underground wiring, which can charge the ground and create another public hazard on the property. They also often run wiring and create outlets inside the house to get the maximum benefit of heat lamps, without regard for safety of the operation.

Thermal Imaging as a Support Tool

The process of investigating a grow operation usually begins with a report from a neighbor to the city’s Public Safety Tip Line. Typically, residents report late night activity and home maintenance concerns. The operator (a trained bylaw clerk) goes through a checklist of validation questions with the caller, and if a high number of the questions are answered in the affirmative, the team begins processing the complaint.

The inspection team received more than 40 tips in the three-month beta test period in 2005 that met the criteria required to prompt investigation. Rod Clemons, the Team Manager of the Abbotsford PSIT, explained how thermal imaging is used in the process of inspection. “We use the thermal throttle on our thermal imager to zero in on the heat in lower levels that indicates excessive power usage,” he said. “We’ve found that the camera shows imminent fire hazards very clearly. We can usually identify a strong heat source coming off the mast and the meter; if the operation is active, we can see that the foundation is warm from the grow lights.”

Clemens outlined how the inspection process works. “If we suspect a grow operation, we return to the residence with police protection to post a notice of inspection, which will take place 48 hours later. At that time, we bring an inspection team, which includes a bylaw officer, a fire inspector and two police officers.”

Of the more than 40 operations that were reported on the hotline during the beta test period, 30 were identified as requiring inspection and 27 were actually confirmed and shut down. Chief Lawrie said thermal imagers help the team quickly move through the early stage of the investigation. “Without thermal imaging, we wouldn’t be as successful with identifying grow operations in the pre-inspection stage,” he said.

Abbotsford Public Safety Fire Inspector Keith Dyck says proper image interpretation in this application relies on solid training and experience. “Several factors can complicate the detection and determination of specific heat sources, including different building materials, explainable processes involving heat, as well as the exposure of the building to sunshine,” he said. “The use of the thermal camera does not replace thorough background verification and standard investigation methods. It’s critical that we understand how to read heat signatures, and that we know why, where and what produces heat in and around a residence. We are learning how to use the camera to aid in our investigation of potential grow ops with very good success.”

Shutting Down Grow Operations

When the Public Safety Inspection Team discovers a grow operation during the investigation, officials immediately disconnect power, using the authority of a qualified BC Safety Authority electrical inspector. The home owner is responsible for the costs associated with bringing the property back into compliance. Unpaid charges are transferred to the property tax bill and if not paid could result in loss of property for the owner.

Chief Lawrie says grow operations are costly to remediate. “People running grow operations essentially make a sauna-type greenhouse out of a home, so it costs a lot of money to restore the property,” he said. “To bring one of these residences into compliance, the whole house has to be gutted. Then the mould and moisture issues need to be remediated. This can cost tens of thousands of dollars.”

Chief Lawrie noted that the owner of the property is not only responsible for remediating the property, but is also charged for the costs associated with the Grow Ops Task Force in Abbotsford. “So theoretically, the program pays for itself,” he commented.

While the property is being remediated, the land title gets tagged with a grow operation identification, which is reclassified after a later inspection clears it. Prior to reclassification, the owner must hire a certified industrial hygienist to confirm that the property is back to meeting province standards as a livable residence.

Following completion of the 2005 beta project in Abbotsford, the grow operations project is moving forward as an official program in the city, with the number of successful remediations on the rise. “Our hope is that a template and process will be available for all fire services within the province,” Chief Lawrie said. “We’ve been contacted by other provinces as well.”