1) This Part provides for the safety of the occupants in
existing buildings, the elimination or control of fire hazards in and around buildings, the installation and maintenance of certain life safety systems in buildings, the installation and maintenance of posted signs and information,
and the establishing of a fire safety plan in those occupancies where it is considered necessary.
1) For the purpose of applying this Code, every
building or part thereof shall be classified according to its major occupancy in conformance with the British Columbia Building Code. (See Appendix A.)
1) Activities that create a hazard and that are not
allowed for in the original design shall not be carried out in a
building unless provisions are made to control the hazard in conformance with this Code. (See
Appendix A.)
2) No major occupancy of Group F, Division 1 shall be contained within a building with any occupancy classified as an assembly, care or detention or residential occupancy.
1) Fire alarm, standpipe and sprinkler systems
shall be provided in all buildings where required by and in conformance with the British Columbia Building Code. (See Appendix A.)
2) When changes in the use of buildings or floor areas create a hazard exceeding the criteria for which the fire protection
systems were designed, such fire protection systems shall be
upgraded to accommodate the increased hazard.
1) A voice communication system or systems
integrated with the general fire alarm system shall be
provided in buildings as specified in Subsection 3.2.6. of the British Columbia
Building Code.
1) Smoke alarms conforming to CAN/ULC-S531, “Smoke Alarms,” shall be installed in each dwelling unit and, except for care or detention occupancies required to have a fire alarm system, in each sleeping room not within a dwelling unit.
2) Smoke alarms within dwelling units shall be installed between each sleeping area and the remainder of the dwelling unit, and where the sleeping areas are served by hallways, the smoke alarms shall be installed in the hallways.
3) Smoke alarms shall be installed in conformance with CAN/ULC S-553,
“Installation of Smoke Alarms.”
4) Smoke alarms are permitted to be battery operated in
a)a dwelling unit permitted to be constructed before March 31, 1979, or
b)a building which is not supplied with electrical power.
[Rev. 1, B.C. Reg. 44/2010.]
1) Materials installed to protect combustible
sprinkler piping, as is required by the British Columbia
Building Code, shall be maintained in accordance with
the provisions of the same edition of the British
Columbia Building Code used for their installation. (See
Appendix A.)
1) Where a special fire suppression system is
required by this Code, the system shall conform to one of
the standards listed in Sentences (3) and (4).
2) If a water-based fire suppression system is not
compatible with the fire suppression requirements for
certain types of dangerous goods, a special fire suppression system conforming to one of the
standards listed in Sentence (3) is permitted to be installed in lieu of a water-based system.
3) The design and installation of a special fire
suppression system that is not water-based shall conform to
one of the following standards:
a)NFPA 11, “Low-, Medium-, and High-Expansion Foam,”
b)NFPA 12, “Carbon Dioxide Extinguishing Systems,”
c)NFPA 12A, “Halon 1301 Fire Extinguishing Systems” (see Appendix A),
d)NFPA 12B, “Halon 1211 Fire Extinguishing Systems” (see Appendix A),
e)NFPA 17, “Dry Chemical Extinguishing Systems,” or
f)NFPA 17A, “Wet Chemical Extinguishing Systems.”
4) The design and installation of a water-based
special fire suppression system shall conform to one of the
following standards:
a)NFPA 15, “Water Spray Fixed Systems for Fire Protection,” or
b)NFPA 16, “Installation of Foam-Water Sprinkler and Foam-Water Spray Systems.”
5) Wetting agents used in conjunction with
water-based fire suppression systems shall conform to NFPA
18, “Wetting Agents.”
6) A hazard for which a fire suppression system has
been designed is not permitted to be increased unless the
level of fire protection is also commensurately
increased.
7) Operating and maintenance instructions for a
special fire suppression system shall be posted in proximity
to the equipment and, if manual controls are provided, shall
be posted near the manual controls.
8) Valves and controls for a special fire suppression
system shall be clearly marked to indicate their function
and shall be accessible at all times.
1) Except as otherwise provided in this Code, an
automatic sprinkler system required by this Code shall
be designed and installed in conformance with the
British Columbia Building Code. (See Appendix A.)
1) The inspection, maintenance and testing of fire
safety devices shall be conducted in accordance with this
Code.
2) Where specific references to the inspection,
maintenance and testing of fire safety devices are not made
in this Code, such devices shall be maintained to ensure
they operate as per their design
requirements.
1) Where a sign, notice, placard or information is
required to be posted, it shall be
a)clearly legible, and
b)except as provided in Sentence (2), permanently mounted in a conspicuous or prominent location in proximity to the situation to which it refers.
2) Where the situation for which posting is required is
of a temporary nature, permanent mounting need not be
provided.
1) Every sign, notice, placard or information that is
required to be posted shall be maintained in conformance with
Article 2.1.4.1.
1) Portable extinguishers shall be installed in all buildings except dwelling units.
2) Except as otherwise required by this Code,
portable extinguishers shall be selected and installed in
accordance with NFPA 10, “Portable Fire
Extinguishers.”
3) Portable extinguishers in proximity to a fire hazard
shall be located so as to be accessible without exposing the
operator to undue risk. (See Appendix A.)
4) Portable extinguishers that are subject to
corrosion shall not be installed in a corrosive environment
unless they are provided with appropriate corrosion
protection.