Smoke Alarms/Detectors

Smoke alarms shall be installed, inspected, tested and maintained in conformance with the manufacturers' instructions or at the very least annually. They should be cleaned regularly to prevent dust buildup. These devices may incorporate both a smoke detector and an audible warning device. The may also have a visual warning light for the hearing impaired. They must be present in all public buildings and hotels.

Heat Detectors

Heat detectors must be cleaned regularly to prevent the buildup of dust over the device. They must be installed, inspected, tested and maintained by qualified service personnel.

Maintenance of Fire Department Access
Streets, yards and roadways provided for fire department access shall be maintained so as to be ready for use at all times by fire department vehicles.

Vehicles shall not be parked to obstruct access by fire department vehicles and signs shall be posted prohibiting such parking. The owner is responsible to enforce this requirement on all private properties.

Exits/Means of Egress

Means of egress shall be maintained in good repair and free of obstructions at all times. No storage may occur in any designated exit pathway/hallway.

Exterior Passageways and Exit Stairs

Exterior passageways and exterior exit stairs serving occupied buildings shall be maintained free of snow and ice accumulations.

Exit Doors

All doors forming part of a means of egress shall be tested at intervals not greater than one (1) month to ensure that they are operable. When doors are equipped with electromagnetic locks, these locks shall be tested at intervals not greater than twelve (12) months. All exit doors must operate with a single action (i.e. they cannot have 2 lock mechanisms) and must close completely.

Damage to Fire Separations

Where fire separations are damaged so as to affect their integrity, they shall be repaired so that the integrity of the fire separation is maintained. This applies to all separations including, but not limited to, walls, ceilings and floors.

Fire Doors

Signs

Within a fire separation, every door used as a closure with a required fire protection rating shall have a permanent sign acceptable to the authority having jurisdiction, posted on the visible side of the door when it is in the open position, with the words "FIRE DOOR KEEP CLOSED". Except where the door is:

• located between a corridor and an adjacent sleeping room in hospitals or nursing homes,
• located between a corridor and an adjacent classroom,
• located between a public corridor and a suite of Group C or D occupancy, or
• fitted with an acceptable hold-open device designed to be released by a signal from a fire detector, fire alarm system or sprinkler system.

Damage to Closures

Where closures are damaged so as to affect the integrity of their fire-protection rating, such damaged closures shall be repaired so that the integrity of the closures is maintained.

Inspection and Maintenance

Defects that interfere with the operation of closures in fire separations shall be corrected, and such closures shall be maintained to ensure that they are operable at all times by:

• keeping fusible links and other heat activated devices undamaged and free of paint and dirt,
• keeping guides, bearings and stay rolls clean and lubricated,
• making necessary adjustments and repairs to door hardware and accessories to ensure proper closing and latching, and
• repairing or replacing inoperative parts of hold-open devices and automatic releasing devices.

Doors in fire separations shall be inspected at intervals not greater than 24 h to ensure that they remain closed unless the door is equipped with a hold-open device conforming to the British Columbia Building Code.

Doors in fire separations shall be operated at intervals not greater than one (1) month to ensure that they are properly maintained.

Closures in fire separations shall not be obstructed, “propped open” or altered in any way that would prevent the normal operation of the closure.

Fire dampers and fire stop flaps shall be inspected at intervals not greater than twelve (12) months to ensure that they are in place and are not obviously damaged or obstructed.

Exit Lighting, Exit Signs

Exit lighting and exit signs shall be illuminated during times the building is occupied. Exit lighting and Exit signs shall be inspected, tested and maintained in conformance with the B.C. Fire Code by qualified service personnel at least annually.

Fire Extinguishers

Fire extinguishers shall be inspected, tested and maintained in conformance with the B.C. Fire Code by qualified service personnel at least annually. Extinguishers must be inspected monthly by the owner/occupants. Fire code regulations require that records of these inspections be retained for a minimum of two (2) years.

Extinguishers must be mounted in locations in, or adjacent to, corridors or aisles that provide access to exits.

Recharging of fire extinguishers is the replacement of the extinguishing agent, as well as the expellant agent in some extinguishers. All extinguishers must be recharged immediately after use.

Fire Alarm

Fire alarms must be tested monthly by the owner/occupant. Fire code regulations require that records of these tests be retained a minimum of two (2) years. Tests are to be conducted in accordance with CAN/ULC-S536.

Fire Alarm shall be inspected, tested and maintained in conformance with the B.C. Fire Code by qualified service personnel at least annually. The monthly test is not required during the month that the annual test is completed. Records are required of Annual Inspection by qualified personnel.

Emergency Lighting

Emergency lighting shall be maintained in operating condition. Emergency lighting must operate in a manner which illuminates the exit pathways when activated.

Self-contained emergency lighting unit equipment shall be inspected by the owner/occupant at intervals not greater than one (1) month to ensure that:

• pilot lights are functioning and not obviously damaged or obstructed,
• the terminal connections are clean, free of corrosion and lubricated when necessary
• the terminal clamps are clean and tight as per manufacturer's specifications
• the battery surface is kept clean and dry, and
• the emergency lights will function upon failure of the primary power supply

Emergency lighting units shall be inspected, tested and maintained in conformance with the B.C. Fire Code by qualified service personnel at least annually. The monthly test is not required during the month that the annual test is completed. Records are required of Annual Inspection by qualified personnel.

The annual test must ensure that the unit will provide emergency lighting for a duration equal to the design criteria under simulated power failure conditions.

After completion of the test the charging conditions for voltage and current and the recovery period shall be tested to ensure that the charging system is functioning in accordance with the manufacturer's specifications.

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