ATTACHMENT 1
#2000ERA004
, 2000
Edmonton, Alberta
Attention:
Dear :
RE:
______
An inspection of the above noted building was conducted on , 2000, under the authority of the Safety Codes Act. After reviewing the apartment building it has been determined the following conditions shall be met to bring this building in conformance with the Approved Fire Safety Guidelines for Apartment Buildings adopted as an Alberta Regulation by the Provincial Fire Council in November 1996.
It is recommended that you consult with this Office prior to the commencement of work to ensure that appropriate construction materials and assemblies are used to provide the required ratings.
1.Fire Alarm and Detection Systems
Any required additions to an existing fire alarm system shall be installed in conformance with the current Alberta Building Code and the appropriate referenced U.L.C. standards for the installation of fire alarm systems.
Where the required additions necessitate the installation of a new fire alarm system, the use of a professional electrical engineer is required.
While the Fire Safety Codes Officer has identified the requirement for specific additional devices to be added to the existing fire alarm system, this does not negate the need for the installer and the building owner to ensure the fire alarm system is fully upgraded to comply with the Alberta Building Code and the relevant U.L.C. standards.
Where a fire alarm system is not installed correctly, is not in safe operable working condition or is not in repairable condition, then the entire system must be replaced and the new system must be installed in conformance with the current Alberta Building Code and the appropriate referenced Underwriters’ Laboratories of Canada (ULC) standards for the installation and verification of fire alarm systems.
A fire alarm system that has not been verified when it was initially installed is subject to an audit at the request of a Fire Safety Codes Officer especially if the system is not operational or malfunctioning, or there are no maintenance records showing the system is being properly serviced.
Existing 110 volt three wire fire alarm systems in Division A buildings may be accepted provided all necessary detectors and devices can be added to the system and the system meets applicable standards.
In Division A buildings, the owner may rely on using approved fire alarm maintenance persons where the complexity of the modifications are within the working knowledge of the contractor.
(a)Fire detectors connected to the building fire alarm system are required to be installed in:
(i)Storage rooms not within dwelling units.
(ii)Service rooms not with dwelling units.
(iii)Janitors’ rooms.
(iv)Elevator and dumbwaiter shafts.
(v)Rooms where hazardous products are to be used or stored.
(vi)Laundry rooms not within dwelling units.
(vii)Lounges and common rooms.
(b)Smoke detectors connected to the building fire alarm system are required to be installed in:
(i)Every public corridor in apartment buildings.
(ii)Every exit stairwell.
(c)Duct-type smoke detectors connected to the building fire alarm system and to a recirculating air handling system are required where the air handling system serves more than one storey or more than one suite on a storey.
(d)Smoke alarms not connected to the building fire alarm system are required to be installed in:
(i)Each dwelling unit located between each area containing sleeping rooms and the remainder of the dwelling unit.
(ii)Hallways of dwelling units that serve sleeping rooms.
Smoke alarms are to be installed on or near the ceiling. In existing buildings which have not been upgraded previously to Alberta Regulation 129/77, “Smoke Detector Regulation” with battery operated smoke alarms, the smoke alarms must be installed with permanent connections to an electrical circuit and must not have any disconnect switch between the over current device and the smoke alarm.
(Owners may wish to consider installing smoke alarms that have a silence feature to reduce nuisance alarms.)
(e)Fire alarm systems that do not transmit a signal to the fire department are required to have a legible, permanently-mounted notice posted at each manual pull station. This sign shall indicate the fire department’s emergency telephone numbers (4963900 and 911) and request the fire department be notified when the alarm system has been activated.
(f)Buildings protected by sprinkler systems must have listed water flow detection devices installed that will activate the building fire alarm system.
(g)The fire alarm system manual activation devices (pull stations) shall be provided adjacent to each exit from the building.
(h)Provide fire alarm audible signaling devices which are not equipped with exterior strikers or provide cages over the existing bells to prevent them from being tampered with.
(i)Provide a heat detector on the ceiling adjacent to the suite entrance door within any suites that are located within the required exit stairwell.
(j)The fire alarm system appears to be sharing a circuit breaker with other electrical devices. The fire alarm system shall be designed as a stand-alone system and the electrical power supply shall not be shared with any other electrical devices.
(k)Ensure that the fire alarm system does not share a circuit breaker with other electrical devices. The fire alarm system shall be designed as a stand-alone system and the electrical power supply shall not be shared with any other electrical devices.
(l)The electrical breaker controlling the fire alarm system shall be secured to prevent unauthorized disconnection.
2.Means of Egress and Exiting Systems
(a)Where a required exit does not open directly to the outside, it must be upgraded by :
(i)Installing a door that opens directly to the outdoors, or
(ii)Constructing an enclosed passageway having a 1 hour fire-resistance rating that leads to an exterior doorway, or
(iii)Passing through a sprinklered lobby.
(b)No exit door shall be locked or secured in any fashion to prohibit an individual from opening the door from the inside. Remove the keylocks and/or padlocks and hasps from the following locations:
(c)The location and direction of exits must be indicated with clearly visible exit signs. Exit signs are permitted to be listed luminescent exit signs provided an emergency light is used to illuminate both the door and the sign. Provide exit signs to indicate the location and direction of all required exits.
(d)Emergency lighting shall be provided to illuminate all means of egress.
(e)A flame-spread rating will apply to the interior finish material that forms part of the interior surface of a floor, wall, partition or ceiling.
The flame-spread rating of finish materials shall be not more than:
(i)25 on the walls and ceilings of exit stairs.
(ii)25 on the ceiling of corridors forming part of the means of egress.
(iii)75 on the walls of corridors forming part of the means of egress, or
(iv)25 on the upper half of the walls of a corridor and 150 on the lower half of the wall.
Where the building is sprinklered, the flame-spread rating of finish materials is permitted to be not more than 150, except in exit stairs where the rating is 25.
Remove the unapproved materials or provide an approved finish to the following locations to achieve the required flame-spread rating:
(f)A dead-end public corridor is permitted provided the dead-end portion of the corridor does not exceed 4.6m in length measured from the end of the dead-end portion to the nearest exit, or 3m in length measured from the end of the dead-end portion to a point where it shall be possible to go in opposite directions to one of two exits.
(g)Unless a variance has been issued by a Fire Safety Codes Officer, at least 2 separate and independent ways out of the building shall be provided, so that if one should become unusable in a fire, an alternate way out is available.
3.Compartmentation - Fire Separations and Ratings
Fire-resistance ratings for required fire separations are 45 minutes for Division A buildings.
It is the intent of this guideline to ensure the means of egress, public and exit corridors and stairs, provides the appropriate fire-resistance rating for Division A, B, and C buildings.
(a)The following panel type and/or hollow core doors shall be replaced with 20
minute fire rated doors:
(b)Approved fire resistant materials shall be applied to the following fire separation walls/ceilings to achieve the required 45 minute fire resistance rating:
Generally, fire doors located in required fire separations must be equipped with self-closing and latching devices that will return the door to a closed and latched position after each use. The following hardware conditions are acceptable:
(i)All service rooms require self-closing and latching hardware unless the Fire Safety Codes Officer agrees to permit having the doors locked at all times restricting tenant accessibility.
(ii)Janitors’ closets, storage rooms, refuse discharge rooms and spaces where materials may be stored require self-closing and latching hardware unless the Fire Safety Codes Officer agrees to permit having the doors locked at all times restricting tenant accessibility.
(c)The following doors shall be equipped with self-closing and latching devices:
(d)The exit stairwells are required to be enclosed within a 45 minute rated fire separation.
The following statement is to be used where the stairways cannot be separated from all the suite, but; a separation door can be installed one each floor (usually near the centre of the corridor - such as in buildings with 4 suites per floor) to provide 2 separate ways out of the building.
(e)Install 20 minute fire rated doors in the corridors which will fire separate the two stairways. These doors shall be equipped with approved self-closing and latching devices which return the door to the closed and latched position each time they are used. Suites which open into the required stairway enclosures shall be equipped with self-closing devices.
(f)In lieu of the required stairwell enclosures, as it is not practical, a heat detector shall be installed within each suite adjacent to the suite entrance door and the doors shall be equipped with self closing devices.
Openings in fire separations that are protected by doors to maintain the integrity of the fire separation and have self-closing and latching devices, must be maintained in operating condition and are not permitted to be removed.
Installation of door closers and latches on exit stairs in buildings is required where such buildings are currently not equipped with self-closing and latching devices on the doors. Exit stair doors on Division A buildings are permitted to have listed magnetic hold-open devices that will close the doors upon activation of the building fire alarm system.
(g)The following exit stairway doors shall be provided with self-closing and/or latching devices:
Delete the following sentence if you are unable to separate the stairways from the corridors.
Doors to dwelling units in Division A buildings do not require self-closing devices, but they are recommended.
4.Fire Suppression and Extinguishing Systems
(a)Where a building is protected with an automatic sprinkler system or a standpipe and hose system, the water supply to the systems must be tested and maintained to ensure proper flow rates and pressures are available.
(b)All valves controlling water supplies to sprinkler and standpipe and hose systems must be:
(i)Electrically supervised to indicate a trouble signal at the fire alarm control panel, or
(ii)Be locked or sealed in the proper position to prevent unauthorized closure of the valve(s).
(c)Portable fire extinguishers are required to be installed for the protection of the building structure and occupancy hazard. There must be at least one 2A 10BC rated multi-purpose portable extinguisher on each floor. Travel distance is to be not more than 15m to an extinguisher.
5.Emergency Planning
(a)Prior to a tenant occupying a dwelling unit and once annually, the owner/manager shall:
(i)Inspect, test and maintain the suite smoke alarms and maintain written records of such testing.
(ii)Ensure the operation of each smoke alarm in each suite and provide each tenant with written instructions of the evacuation procedures and emergency instructions for the building.
(b)Each floor area is to have posted a floor plan showing the exits, emergency evacuation routes, and the location of fire and life safety equipment and general evacuation procedures.
Please provide this office prior to (40 days) , 2000, with a schedule of when the requirements will be completed. Your cooperation in meeting the Guidelines would be appreciated.
Maintenance Items
A reinspection will be made (of the above noted maintenance items only) on or about (40 days).
If you require further information or a consultation on the safety upgrading required, please contact this office at 496-3850.
Yours truly,
Safety Codes Officer, Fire Discipline
/kt