NOT YOUR AVERAGE JOE

You won't see Joe Adams carrying marijuana plants out of a busted
grow house along with police.

He doesn't fight fires that erupt from the crazily wired buildings, either.

But the Garden City man has helped shut down a dozen big marijuana
growing operations across Niagara - and likely helped save the lives
of firefighters and police officers.

Adams, a senior inspector with the Technical Standards and Safety
Authority, received a fire safety advocate award from the Ontario
Fire Marshal Wednesday.

The 54-year-old said the award is more about the fire-safety message
than about him.

"It's great as far as awareness goes," he said after receiving his
award along with 16 other Ontarians in a Toronto ceremony. "Our
mandate (at the TSSA) is putting safety first."

Ontario Fire Marshal Patrick Burke, however, aimed praise directly at
Adams. "Joe has been a driving force behind the eradication of
marijuana grow operations in the Niagara region," Burke said in a
written statement.

"His professional opinion and evidence offered in court has helped
the Niagara Falls fire department spend less time in long and
complicated trials."

Adams' job, not to mention his employer, might be a mystery to many people.

But the arm's-length agency actually regulates everything from
elevators to amusement park rides to fuel safety.

The latter is Adams' speciality, which includes all the technical
rules surrounding heating and ventilation appliances.

If that doesn't sound exciting, you've probably never walked into a
marijuana growing operation.

Marijuana plants, while illegal, aren't particularly dangerous when
you find them. A boiler spewing carbon dioxide into a mould-infested
home, on the other hand, is a potential killer.

"These people don't realize the danger they put themselves in," Adams
said of illegal growers. "And not just themselves, but other people."

The affable Adams turned stern when he recalled one particular
grow-op in Niagara Falls.

The renters had disconnected a boiler pipe to allow carbon dioxide
and water vapour into the basement apartment. The common practice
promotes plant growth.

But it also leads to toxic mould and high levels of carbon monoxide,
a deadly and potentially explosive gas.

"In that case, there were four- and five-year-olds living upstairs,
totally innocent, totally unaware," Adams said.

"That's when it gets really scary."

Over the last few years, Adams has investigated dozens of grow-ops,
big and small.

He's a provincial offences officer, which means he can lay charges
related to fuel safety and impose fines of up to $1 million.

But he also trains fire and police officials to recognize hazards and
offers on-site advice.

Maybe it's improperly vented heaters, uncapped gas lines or "dead
giveaways" like soot stains - a sure sign of dangerously high carbon
monoxide levels.

Adams quickly points out he's just one member of a team of outside
experts consulted by firefighters and police for complicated grow-ops.

But he's glad to be a part of it.

"These (grow-ops) are such a public safety issue. I'm glad we're
going after them with a vengeance."