Design a Fire Plan

What is a fire safety plan

A fire safety plan is a detailed document that covers all aspects of fire safety for a specific building or property. The plan will outline:

• A safe and orderly way for occupants to evacuate the building.
• Proper maintenance and housekeeping required to prevent fires.
• Methods of control that minimize the damage from fires when they do occur.

Fire safety plans are often required by your local Fire Code, especially for certain buildings and occupancy rates. Check with your jurisdiction, municipality, or local fire department for further information. Some municipalities and/or fire departments may prefer that a template or standard format be used by all businesses in their area to help when they have to respond to emergencies. 

What should be included in the fire safety plan?

Plans should be specific to the property or business. Conducting an audit or review of the property or business will help identify factors that could affect fire safety. Items in this audit include site layout, points of entry/exit, roadways, use of the building, where and how items are stored, how items are used, water or fire department connections, alarm systems, sprinkler systems and many other factors.

While specific requirements may vary by jurisdiction, in general, a fire safety plan should include:

• Emergency procedures to be used in case of fire, including how to:
  • sound the alarm,
  • notify the fire department, building or business officials, or other designated staff as specified in the plan (e.g., all telephones on site should have the emergency phone numbers listed and the address of the property posted close by),
  • evacuate occupants (e.g., procedures occupants should follow when the fire alarm sounds),
  • evacuate persons who may need assistance, and
  • confine, control, and extinguish the fire where possible.
• How, and how often fire drills will be conducted.
• Information for any designated staff who have been given fire safety duties and responsibilities.
• Organization, education, and training for staff with fire safety duties.
• Information and actions to take to prevent or control fire hazards for that building or business, where appropriate.
• Other staff education and training that may be necessary.
• Detailed maintenance procedures for fire protection systems.
• Diagrams and instructions about the type, location, and operation of any fire or emergency systems.
• Identification of alternative fire safety measures.
• Allow fire department access to the building and to the fire location within the building.

What can be included in typical fire safety plans for all employees?

Fire safety plans should provide employees or building occupants with the instructions they need to leave the building (or respond as appropriate) in the event of a fire. Examples of content for the plan may include instructions such as:

If you discover a fire:

• Leave the fire area immediately.
• Activate the fire alarm and alert other staff.
• If safe to do so, assist anyone in immediate danger.
• Close all doors behind you to confine the fire.
• Use exit stairwells to leave the building.

If you hear a fire alarm:

• Shutdown process and equipment (as preplanned, where applicable).
• Leave the building immediately.
• Close all doors behind you to confine the fire.
• Use exit stairwells to leave the building.
• If designated with fire emergency duties, carry out pre-planned procedures if safe to do so.

In the event of a fire:

• Do not use the elevator(s).
• Do not re-enter the building until the fire marshal or respective supervisory staff announces that it is safe to do so.

National Fire Code of Canada 2020

From National Research Council Canada

https://nrc-publications.canada.ca/eng/view/object/?id=6c3e5cf6-8891-40e0-8b37-a78665c23f27

The National Fire Code: 2023 Alberta Edition (NFC(AE)) is based on the National Fire Code of Canada 2020. It establishes fire protection requirements for the safe use and maintenance of buildings, including references to design and construction requirements in the National Building Code – 2023 Alberta Edition. It also applies to the conduct of activities that might cause fire hazards in and around buildings, fire safety at construction sites, the establishment of fire safety plans, and the design, construction and use of storage tanks for flammable and combustible liquids. The 2023 edition of the NFC(AE) is more harmonized with the national code provisions than the previous edition to support a reduction of barriers to trade, investment and labour. Highlights of updates to this edition Fire safety plan requirements are consolidated to facilitate compliance and enforcement. Classifications are established for 5 widely used water-miscible liquid mixtures to ensure that appropriate fire safety measures are applied in their storage, handling, use and processing. Measures are included to address fire safety during the construction of encapsulated mass timber buildings. New requirements for the storage of medical oxygen in residential buildings and health care facilities are added to Division C. Prohibited items, such as sky lanterns and barred or locked exit doors, are clarified. Expanded qualification requirements are added to Division C, and language from STANDATA 19-FCI-008 is included in an explanatory note. Several Alberta-specific variations are moved to Division A or C from Division B, including the following: Requirements for hose for firefighting are now located in Division C. Fire department building access (key box) requirements are now located in Division C. Part 4 exclusions are now located in Division A, and their wording is expanded to improve clarity.

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View final version: National Fire Code: 2023 Alberta Edition (PDF, 6.0 MiB)