VANCOUVER - Occupy Vancouver protesters say their encampment on the lawn of the city's downtown art gallery is an autonomous space where the laws of the land don't apply, including an order by the local fire department that declared the site was dangerous and demanded changes.

The fire department ordered protesters to remove large tarps, space out tents and take down unoccupied tents. The order set a deadline of Friday at 10 a.m.

But as the deadline passed, the protesters claimed the order didn't apply to them. They said they would listen to the fire department's concerns and remove some tarps, but made it clear they wouldn't fully comply.

"We are using our plan to keep this area warm and safe," a protester who identified herself only as Kiki told reporters.

"We've listened to their concerns, but their bylaws don't stand here."

The tensions in Vancouver come as protesters in Quebec City also face pressure from the city's mayor to leave.

Kiki said the Occupy Vancouver protesters will decide for themselves which tarps would be removed, but she said some will remain. She also said the protesters will erect a new, larger tent, though she declined to say how that would address the fire department's concerns.

By mid-morning, a group of campers began removing a large tarpaulin that was covering several smaller tents.

A day earlier, the city's fire chief suggested the department was prepared to remove the tarps if the protesters didn't comply. On Friday he was more vague.

When asked what recourse the department had to enforce the order, Chief John McKearney would only say that he intended to speak with the protesters.

"At this point, the order has not been fully complied with. We need to talk with representatives of Occupy Vancouver. We will keep members of the media informed as to next steps from here," McKearney told reporters after walking through the tent city.

"The best result for us is for representatives of Occupy Vancouver to communicate with my representatives that there is going to be a positive outcome within the next hours."

Concern about the camp came to a head Thursday after someone at the site suffered a non-fatal drug overdose. The fire department complained it was difficult to get inside.

As in other cities where Occupy protesters have taken over local parks, municipal officials in Vancouver have struggled to figure out what to do with them, particularly as the encampment remains an issue ahead of the Nov. 19 civic election.

Mayor Gregor Robertson has said he wants the campers to go, but has declined to set a deadline or threaten to force them out.

On Friday, Robertson again said the tents need to be removed, but he still refused to say what, if anything, he planned to do.

"This is public land and the bylaws of the city apply, the laws of B.C. and the country apply on that land," Robertson told reporters.

"They are not complying with all of the city bylaws, particularly with the encampment. And now there's concern that if the fire bylaws are not respected that the city has no choice but to take action."

His main rival, Coun. Suzanne Anton, wants to give protesters a week to clear the space.

Vancouver police Chief Jim Chu has warned using his officers to force the protesters out probably wouldn't work. City manager Penny Ballem has said a court injunction would likely be required to clear the art gallery lawn.

The tent city is modelled after the Occupy Wall Street movement in New York, which has continued for nearly two months, to protest corporate greed and social inequity. The Vancouver site is among a long list of copycat encampments that have sprung up across the U.S., Canada and elsewhere.

Reactions from local governments have varied.

In Quebec City, Mayor Regis Labeaume has demanded tents on the Universite du Quebec plaza be removed, but protesters have vowed to stay.

Fire department inspectors showed up Thursday evening with pumper trucks and police to check the ramshackle site, removing a toaster, wood and some electrical cord.

While some protesters complained about the action, others said the fire inspectors were just doing their jobs and didn't cause them any problems.

Attempts by police to confront protesters in cities such as Oakland, Calif., have prompted violent clashes and have failed to keep the campers away.