Fire safety plans and pre-incident plans for Coquitlam buildings, drawn with Coquitlam Fire/Rescue’s standard symbols and submitted in the format the department asks for.
Who needs a fire safety plan in Coquitlam
Coquitlam Fire/Rescue applies Section 2.8 of the BC Fire Code to every building with a fire alarm system, every assembly, care or detention occupancy, every high building and every sprinklered building. The department also asks for the fire safety plan, pre-incident plan and Vital Information Form as part of the occupancy certificate process, so a new building cannot open without them.
That takes in the towers rising around Burquitlam and Lougheed Town Centre, the strata and rental buildings of Coquitlam Centre, Austin Heights and Maillardville, the townhouse communities on Burke Mountain, and the offices, shopping centres, schools and daycares throughout the city.
How Coquitlam Fire/Rescue reviews a plan
Coquitlam has one of the more detailed submission guidelines in the region. Plans must be site- and building-specific, printed single-sided in at least 12-point type, and the drawings must use Coquitlam Fire/Rescue’s standard drawing symbols. A plan drawn with generic symbols is returned.
The department also requires a separate set of pre-incident plans (PIPs) with each fire safety plan submission, plus its Vital Information Form. The pre-incident plan is the one-page-per-building summary crews use on the way to a call: access, alarm panel, sprinkler and standpipe connections, shut-offs and hazards. Once the package is accepted, Coquitlam Fire/Rescue issues a letter or email of acceptance that you keep with the plan.
A review fee applies to each submission. We confirm the current rate with the department and include it in your quote.
The buildings we plan for in Coquitlam
High-rise and mid-rise stratas in Burquitlam, Lougheed and Town Centre, many of them newer buildings whose developer plans have never been updated. The wood-frame walk-ups and townhouses of Austin Heights, Ranch Park and Burke Mountain. Retail and office buildings along Barnet Highway, North Road and Lougheed Highway. The industrial and distribution buildings of Pacific Reach and United Boulevard, where storage and hazardous materials shape the plan. Schools, daycares, care homes and places of worship across the city.
Keeping a Coquitlam plan current
Review the plan every year and update it whenever the Fire Safety Director, property manager, monitoring company or building systems change. Keep the pre-incident plan in step with it, run the annual drill and keep the records in the plan box. If a fire protection system is shut down for repair, the plan’s alternative measures take effect and the department expects you to follow them.
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 Coquitlam projects
A few of the Coquitlam buildings we have prepared fire safety plans for, and what made each one different.
- A 1982 apartment tower on Westview Street: a sauna, gym and racquetball court sit two levels under the lobby.
- A label printing plant on Clipper Street: solvent-based inks by the drum, and three joined buildings with two of everything.
- A car dealership on United Boulevard: a showroom, a service shop, 250 tires and a caretaker living upstairs.
- A daycare on Ridgeway Avenue: two units, 39 children, and every fire system controlled by the base building.
- A restaurant on Pinetree Way: a kitchen hood system wired into the alarm of the 26-storey tower above it.
Frequently asked questions — Coquitlam
Does Coquitlam charge a fee to review a fire safety plan?
Yes, per submission. Rates are set by the City and change from time to time; we confirm the current amount at submission and include it in your quote.
What is a pre-incident plan and do we need one?
A pre-incident plan is a short summary of the building for responding crews: access points, alarm panel location, sprinkler and standpipe connections, utility shut-offs and hazards. Coquitlam Fire/Rescue requires one with every fire safety plan, and we prepare both together.
Do your drawings use the Coquitlam symbols?
Yes. Every Coquitlam plan we draw uses the department’s standard symbol set, which is one of the reasons our plans are accepted on the first pass.
Coquitlam 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.