Fire C.O.D. E. Quick Reference Charts for the Inspection, Testing and Maintenance of Common Fire Safety Equipment and Systems
These 24" x 36" posters are quick reference charts for the inspection, testing and maintenance requirements of common fire safety equipment and systems as prescribed by the different Fire Codes used by the various jurisdictions in Canada. These charts provide Code references, referrals to applicable NFPA, ULC and CSA Standards, a brief summary of what needs to be done, the prescribed qualifications necessary (if applicable) for individuals to perform certain inspection, testing and maintenance tasks, and recording keeping requirements. There are individual charts for the different National Fire Code (NFC) editions (2010, 2015, 2020) currently in use by each Province or Territory with the exception of Ontario. References are also made to specific Provincial Amendments for Manitoba and Québec. There is also a separate chart for the City of Vancouver which regulates fire safety through Fire By-Law 12472 that references the British Columbia Fire Code 2018 (which is based on the NFC 2015). A chart has also been prepared for the unique 2015 Ontario Fire Code.
These charts can assist building owners, their authorized agents or anyone with responsibilities for building maintenance, in their efforts to ensure that all fire safety related equipment and systems are inspected, tested and maintained in the manner prescribed by the fire code in force. And for businesses and organizations operating across Canada, these charts will also highlight any unique fire code requirements that may be specific to a particular jurisdiction, e.g. qualifications of individuals who are permitted to perform certain inspection,testing and maintenance tasks, and record keeping requirements.
Why a Fire Code is important to building owners
A fire code is a regulation that has been adopted by a jurisdiction through legislation to ensure that an acceptable level of life safety and property conservation is maintained in and around buildings.
Fire codes include provisions for the establishment of fire safety plans, the control of hazardous activities that may present a fire risk, the limitation and control of flammable and combustible liquids or other dangerous goods, fire safety at construction and demolition sites, the on-going maintenance of fire safety features incorporated into a building and the inspection, testing and maintenance of fire safety related equipment and systems.
Except for Ontario which has developed its own unique fire code, all other jurisdictions in Canada have fire codes based on the model National Fire Code of Canada (NFC) which is typically updated every 5 years. The most current edition of the NFC is 2020.
Different editions (2010, 2015, 2020) of the NFC are currently in use by Provinces and Territories who may choose to adopt a specific edtion of the NFC in its entirety, add or delete certain provisions or add amendments through regulation to meet specific jurisdictional needs.
Ontario is in the process of developing a new edition of their current 2015 fire code in an effort to improve harmonization with the NFC 2020 to meet their obligations under the Construction Codes Reconciliation Agreement of 2020 between the Government of Canada and the provinces and territories to harmonize construction codes across the country. According to the the Canadian Board for Harmonized Construction Codes, a new Ontario Fire Code should be released in 2026.
A key element of fire safety in buildings is the routine inspection, testing and maintenance (ITM) of fire safety equipment and systems.
Fire codes prescribe specific requirements (acceptable solutions) regarding what must be done, how often it must be done, who is authorized and qualified to perform the work and may include what type of specific record keeping is required.
Building owners or the owner’s authorized agent are legally responsible for meeting their fire code obligations. It should be noted that the term “owner” is not defined in any of the editions of the NFC. This intentional ommission allows juridictions who use the NFC to define the term "owner" in a manner that best meets their own particular needs. However, both the Ontario Fire Code and Vancouver Fire By-Law 12472 (that references the British Columbia Fire Code 2018), include a definition of “owner.”
All Fire Codes in Canada have 3 divisions:
A - Compliance, Objectives and Functional Statements
B - Acceptable Solutions
C - Administrative Provisions
Inspection, testing and maintenance of fire safety equipment and systems is found in Division B.
Both the NFC based codes and the Ontario Fire Code make numerous references to many other standards for specific requirements regarding the inspection, testing and maintenance of equipment and systems, e.g. NFPA (National Fire Protection Association), ULC (Underwriters Laboratories of Canada) and CSA (CSA Group).
All referenced standards are found in Part 1, of Division B of both the NFC based codes and the Ontario Fire Code. It is important to note that when referring to one of the listed standards that the correct edition of the standard is used.
All Canadian Fire Codes, as well as NFPA and ULC Standards are now available for free online viewing (see Links to Fire Codes & Standards etc.). Except for the NFPA and ULC Standards which can only be viewed, all other documments can be downloaded. At the present time there is no free online access to the CSA Standards referenced in Canadian fire codes.
Fire codes, their referenced standards and other applicable jurisdictional legislation may prescribe who is deemed qualified to perform inspection, testing and maintenance on certain types of fire protection equipment or systems. Simpler tasks can generally be performed in-house by the owner or by someone designated by the owner. The Local Authority Having Jurisdiction (AHJ), typically a Fire Chief or their designate or some other officially authorized person, should be consulted to find out what tasks would be permitted to be performed in-house. The AHJ should also be consulted to determine if there is any other fire safety related provincial/territorial legislation or local by-laws that may also require compliance.
Where inspection, tests, maintenance or other operational procedures are prescribed by one of the Canadian fire codes, a record must be kept and retained on the premises for examination by the AHJ for a at least 2 years, the exception being Alberta that requires records to be kept for at least 5 years.
A fire code may prescribe what kinds of records are to be kept. In the absence of such specific requirements, record keeping should conform to the requirements or recommendations of the referenced standard, subject to the approval of the AHJ.
A fire code is enforceable at law. There can be significant penalties for non-compliance.
The administration, interpretation and enforcement of a fire code is the responsibility of the local AHJ.
Why these Fire C.O.D.E. charts?
The concept for these quick reference charts came as the result of recognizing that many building owners do not have an appreciable understanding of exactly what their legal fire code obligations are with respect to the inspection, testing and maintenance of the fire safety equipment and systems present within their buildings. And that should not surprise anyone since the expertise of building owners is predominantly focused on matters directly related to the nature of the business that they operate. During my 25 years as both a federal and provincial fire inspector I frequently found that situations of owner non-compliance were the result of lack of awareness of their various fire code responsibilities, especially if they had never been subject to a regulatory compliance inspection. So in a effort to assist building owners to meet their fire code related inspection, testing and maintenance obligations, I thought it might be a good idea to provide some owners of larger and more complex buildings with a very basic, quick reference summary chart listing the type of fire safety equipment and systems that I found present during an inspection and their respective inspection, testing and maintenance cycles. After doing this, I found a significant increase of comprehensive voluntary compliance during subsequent inspections. I concluded that building owners had a greater tendency to meet their fire code obligations if they had a better understanding of what it was they actually had to do. I do realize that the local Authority Having Jurisdiction in many parts of Canada may not have the time or resources to provide this type of individual additional service as part of their regulatory inspection program, if in fact there is one. Nevertheless, I am of the opinion that compliance is frequently more easily achieved through education rather than just strict regulatory enforcement.
Prior to fire codes and many of the referenced standards becoming available for free on-line viewing and/or downloading, those documents would have had to be purchased, which likely would have been considered cost prohibitive for most. Little wonder that I seldom if ever, came across a building owner that had a copy of the applicable fire code, let alone any of the pertinent referenced standards. And in the absence of having those documents and being aware of what the prescribed requirements were for the inspection, testing and maintenance of their fire safety equipment and systems, situations of non-compliance were more the norm rather than the exception.
These charts are intended to be used as a navigational guideline to direct building owners to their inspection, testing and maintenance obligations prescribed by the fire code currently in use within the jurisdiction that they are located in. For building owners that have properties located across the country, different fire codes will have to be referred to. These Charts will provide building owners with specific code references, referenced standards if applicable, a brief summary of what must be done, who is considered legally qualified to perform certain tasks, and the requisite record keeping requirements.
Much of the information required by building owners to meet their fire code responsibilities for the inspection, testing and maintenance of fire safety equipment and systems is now readily available for free viewing and/or downloading. So it's really just a question of knowing where to look to become informed of what the specifics of those responsibilities are. Perhaps these charts will help and provide the motivation to do so.