Fire safety plans for Squamish buildings, prepared to the BC Fire Code and the District’s Fire Service Bylaw, delivered electronically and in the weatherproof plan box the bylaw requires.
Who needs a fire safety plan in Squamish
Squamish Fire Rescue enforces Section 2.8 of the BC Fire Code through the District of Squamish Fire Service Bylaw No. 2314. The bylaw requires the owner to submit the fire safety plan to the Fire Chief for approval, pay the review fee set in the fees and charges bylaw, provide approved copies electronically, and keep the plan in a weatherproof information box the fire department can reach. Every building with a fire alarm system, every assembly, care or detention occupancy, every high building and every sprinklered building needs one.
Squamish is growing fast, which means many newer wood-frame mixed-use buildings downtown whose developer plans were never updated, plus the retail centres along Highway 99, the light industrial and warehouse buildings of the Business Park, and the schools, daycares and places of worship in Brackendale, Valleycliffe and Garibaldi Estates.
How Squamish Fire Rescue reviews a plan
The District refers planners to the guidelines of the Fire Prevention Officers’ Association of BC, which is the format our plans follow across the province. A complete Squamish plan includes the emergency procedures for occupants and supervisory staff, the appointment of the Fire Safety Director and alternates, staff training and drill frequency, site and floor drawings showing exits, the alarm panel and annunciator, sprinkler and standpipe connections, hydrants and shut-offs, the hazards in the building and how they are controlled, and the maintenance schedules for every fire protection system.
Once Squamish Fire Rescue accepts the plan, the bylaw requires approved copies to be supplied electronically as well as kept on site, and the on-site copy lives in a weatherproof box accessible to the department. A review fee applies; we confirm the current amount at submission and include it in your quote.
Construction and demolition sites fall under the Code’s construction provisions, and our construction division at constructionfiresafetyplans.ca prepares those plans. The District can also require event fire safety plans for festivals and large gatherings.
The buildings we plan for in Squamish
Mid-rise wood-frame mixed-use buildings and the retail strip along Cleveland Avenue in downtown Squamish. Retail centres and big-box stores in Garibaldi Estates and along Highway 99. Light industrial buildings and warehouses in the Squamish Business Park. Schools, residential buildings and small commercial in Brackendale and Valleycliffe. Hotels, recreation facilities and places of worship across the District.
Keeping a Squamish plan current
Review the plan every year and update it whenever the Fire Safety Director, property manager, monitoring company or building systems change. Run the annual drill, keep the records in the plan box, and follow the plan’s alternative measures whenever a fire protection system is out of service.
How it works with FireSafetyPlan.com
- Firm quote in one business day. One upfront price based on building type and size, with any fire department review fee included.
- Site visit. We confirm exits, fire alarm panel and annunciator, sprinkler and standpipe connections, shut-offs and the plan box location, and photograph the fire protection systems.
- Draft in five to seven business days. CAD drawings and the full written plan, sent to you for review before anything is submitted.
- Submission and approval. We submit to the fire department, handle any revisions they ask for, and deliver the accepted plan in print and PDF, with wall plaques and a plan box if you need them.
Approval is guaranteed. If the fire department sends back a plan we prepared, we revise it at no charge until it is accepted.
Recent Squamish projects
A couple of the Squamish buildings we have prepared fire safety plans for, and what made each one different.
- A daycare in a new residential complex on Scott Crescent: infants leave in cribs and wagons, toddlers on a handrail and a rope.
- A 24-hour drive-thru restaurant on Cleveland Avenue: sprinklers in the garbage room only, and no key box because it never closes.
Frequently asked questions — Squamish
Is there a review fee?
Squamish charges a fee to review a fire safety plan, set in the municipal fee bylaw and changed from time to time. We confirm the current amount at submission and include it in your quote so there are no surprises.
Our building is new and the developer supplied a plan. Is it enough?
Rarely for long. Developer plans are written before anyone moves in, seldom name a real Fire Safety Director, and often were never formally accepted. We check what is on file and update or replace it as needed.
Do you travel to Squamish?
Yes. Squamish is a regular stop for us, and we group site visits with Whistler and the North Shore so the timing works for your building.
Squamish fire safety plan quote: (778) 574-2895. We reply within one business day.
Read more: strata fire safety plan requirements in BC, what a fire safety plan costs in BC, or request a quote.
Need a fire safety plan approved?
Firm quote within one business day. Approval guaranteed.