A lot of our clients first call us the week a fire inspector has been through their building. Some had a notice taped to the fire alarm panel. Others just had an inspector ask to see the fire safety plan, and nobody could find it. An inspection is not something to fear, but it goes much better when you know what is coming. Here is how fire inspections work in BC now, what the inspector looks at, and how your fire safety plan gets checked.

Why inspections are changing in BC

The Fire Safety Act came into force on August 1, 2024, replacing the Fire Services Act of 1979. It changed how inspections are organized. Municipalities, which the Act calls monitoring entities, must now run a risk-based compliance monitoring system for public buildings. In plain terms, higher-risk buildings get inspected more often. The Office of the Fire Commissioner’s guidance lists bars, apartments, hotels, college residences, large office buildings and sawmills as examples of high-risk public buildings.

That system is made up of two tools: fire safety inspections and fire safety assessments. If your municipality asks you, as owner of a public building, to complete a fire safety assessment, you must do it in the form the fire commissioner requires and submit it on time. If you do not, the municipality may send an inspector instead, and a fee for that inspection can be charged if it is set by local bylaw.

When an inspector can come

Under section 9 of the Fire Safety Act, a fire inspector may carry out an inspection:

• on receiving a complaint
• when the inspector believes it is advisable, without a complaint
• at the request of an owner or occupier
• when the municipality requires it as part of compliance monitoring

The inspector may enter premises at any reasonable time. Private dwellings are the exception: an inspector needs the occupier’s consent or a warrant to enter a private home. Most of the buildings our clients own or manage are public buildings under the Act, which takes in commercial, industrial and institutional buildings and anything the public is ordinarily invited into.

What the inspector looks at

Every department and inspector has their own routine, but these are the items we see checked again and again across the Lower Mainland.

Exits and means of egress

Exit doors that open and close properly, exit signs lit, corridors and stairwells clear of storage, no chained or blocked doors. Fire doors that are wedged open are a classic finding.

Fire protection systems and their records

The BC Fire Code requires records of tests, inspections and maintenance of fire safety systems to be kept at the premises for the authority having jurisdiction. The inspector will usually ask for the current fire alarm inspection report, sprinkler and standpipe reports, emergency lighting tests and fire extinguisher service tags. Under the code, no such record may be destroyed within two years of being prepared, and at least the current and previous records must be available.

Housekeeping and hazards

Combustible storage in electrical and mechanical rooms, overloaded extension cords, propane or fuel stored where it should not be, and anything near heat sources.

The fire safety plan

This is where we come in, and it is the item that most often catches owners out.

How the fire safety plan is checked

The inspector is checking three things: that a plan exists, that it is the right plan for the building, and that it is current.

Is the plan in the building?

The BC Fire Code requires the plan to be kept in the building for reference by the fire department, supervisory staff and other personnel. In a high-rise it has to be kept at the central alarm and control facility. Lower Mainland departments generally want it in a clearly marked red binder, and some, such as West Vancouver, require a fire safety plan box inside the primary entrance.

Was it accepted by the fire department?

The code requires the plan to be prepared in cooperation with the fire department. Lower Mainland departments such as Coquitlam and North Vancouver issue a letter or email of acceptance, which goes in the front of the binder. A homemade plan that was never submitted is a frequent finding.

Does it match the building?

The inspector compares the floor plans and site plan to what they see: the location of the fire alarm panel, sprinkler valves, the fire department connection, hydrants, gas and electrical shut-offs, and exits. If a renovation moved a stairwell or a tenant built out a space, the drawings may now be wrong.

Is it current?

The code requires the plan to be reviewed at intervals not greater than 12 months. The inspector will look for evidence of that review, a current list of supervisory staff with working phone numbers, and current service contractor details.

Are the procedures posted and practised?

At least one copy of the fire emergency procedures must be posted on each floor area, and in hotels and motels the fire safety rules must be posted in every guest bedroom. The inspector may also ask to see your fire drill records.

What happens after the inspection

If the inspector finds a contravention, they can issue an order under section 11 of the Fire Safety Act. The order must name the provision contravened, explain how to comply and give a compliance date. Owners must comply within the time given, and the order sets out the right to request a review by the fire commissioner. If orders are ignored, the Act allows the fire commissioner to impose administrative penalties, and failing to comply with an order is also an offence. The Office of the Fire Commissioner has said administrative penalties are meant for serious, repeated and deliberate non-compliance, after local compliance tools are exhausted.

Most findings never get that far. A typical notice lists items to fix and a date for a re-inspection.

How to prepare

• Find the fire safety plan before the inspector asks for it, and check the acceptance letter is in the binder
• Update supervisory staff names and phone numbers
• Put the latest fire alarm, sprinkler and extinguisher reports in the binder
• Walk the exits and stairwells and clear any storage
• Check that posted fire emergency procedures match the current plan

Frequently asked questions

Will the inspector tell us before they come?

Often, yes, particularly for routine inspections under a compliance monitoring program. The Fire Safety Act also allows inspections on a complaint or when the inspector believes one is advisable, so do not count on notice.

Our plan is ten years old. Is that a problem?

Almost certainly. The code requires a review at least every 12 months, and some departments set their own resubmission triggers. Coquitlam, for example, wants a revised plan after a renovation, a change of occupancy or ten years since the last submission, whichever comes first.

Can GetFirePlan help after we get a notice?

Yes. That is one of the most common reasons people call us. We review the notice, visit the site, and prepare or update the plan so it can be submitted for acceptance. See our Surrey fire safety plan guide for how that works locally.

Get inspection-ready

GetFirePlan Fire Safety Inc. has been writing BC fire safety plans since 2003, with more than 1,000 delivered. We handle the site visit, CAD drawings, procedures and fire department submission, with pricing upfront and approval guaranteed. If an inspection is coming up or you already have a notice, request a quote through our contact page or call (778) 574-2895.