Buildings are at the greatest risk to serious fire damage at the construction stage. At the construction stage, fire-resistive walls and floors, sprinklers, standpipes and fire alarm systems are not yet in place or are incomplete. The goal of a Construction Fire Safety Plan is to prevent fires in and around construction/demolition sites and reduce the fire risk to life and property.
A Construction Fire Safety Plan, often referenced as a C-FSP, is a document that contains written procedures to address the following objectives:
- the protection of life and property
- emergency procedures
- fire hazard control
A Construction Fire Safety Plan is required for all buildings or portions of buildings prior to the commencement of construction, alteration or demolition operations on a construction site. They must comply with the 2020 National Fire Code, BC Edition Sections 2.8 and 5.6, and BC Building Code.
Review Construction Fire Safety Plan Guidelines
Occupancies Requiring a Construction Fire Safety Plan
The following construction occupancies in the City of Kamloops require a Construction Fire Safety Plan to be submitted for review:
- Residential occupancies greater than a triplex
- Part 3 single family dwellings
- New commercial occupancies
- New multi residential occupancies
- Any base building work on multi residential or commercial occupancies
- New Group F or demolition Group F (Industrial Occupancy)
A Construction Fire Safety Plan is considered to be a living document which may be required to be revised and/or updated over the course of the project. Once accepted, a reference copy of the Construction Fire Safety Plan will be kept by Kamloops Fire Rescue, and one copy will be posted in the site construction office. Construction Fire Safety Plans may be reviewed at any time by the authority having jurisdiction. As construction progresses, the plan must be periodically updated. This shall be done by the General Contractor as representative of the owner and in consultation with the fire department.
The Construction Fire Safety Plan is required to be site specific and include who prepared the plan, the site address, the revision date, and page numbers. All Construction Fire Safety Plans requiring review (see above list) shall be submitted with your Building Permit Application or may be emailed if previously agreed.
Protection of Adjacent Properties Report
A professionally prepared report in compliance with Article 5.6.1.2 and Note A-5.6.1.2 (1) of the 2020 National Fire Code, BC Edition (Measures to Mitigate Fire Spread to Adjacent Buildings) must accompany the Construction Fire Safety Plan as an appendix and be submitted at building permit application for review. Mitigation measures must be in place before construction begins (or as noted in the report). This report shall be conducted by a registered professional.
Kamloops Fire Rescue Requirements
- All Construction Fire Safety Plans shall follow the guidelines as laid out in the Construction Fire Safety Plan Guidelines.
- Kamloops Fire Rescue requires that our Fire Safety Plan symbols be used in Construction Fire Safety Plan drawings. A list of required drawings can be found in the Construction Fire Safety Plan Guidelines (Section 5 – Site Diagrams)
- Kamloops Fire Rescue requires a Protection of Adjacent Properties Report accompany the Construction Fire Safety Plan (see information above) and be placed as an appendix to the report. This report shall be conducted by a registered professional.
- The Construction Fire Safety Plan and attached report must be submitted in PDF format for review to firesafetyplans@kamloops.ca at the time of your permit application.
