In this edition of the Journal, we explore two interesting and relevant topics for our fire and life safety community across Canada.

Digital Reporting Tools

Cindy Leber, President of Building Reports Canada, explains the benefits and digital inspection reporting tools for fire alarm service companies. With the regulated Building and Fire Code changes that now require all fire alarm service companies to use a standardized format for their verification and annual inspection reports, it is an opportune time for service companies to make the switch, if they have not yet done so, towards a digital inspection reporting tool for their service operations. There are several digital reporting software tools on the market that are designed to meet the Canadian requirements as per ULC Standard 537 for verification inspections and ULC Standard 536 for annual/periodic fire alarm system inspections. I encourage fire alarm service companies to research their options and fire alarm technicians to make recommendations to their employers on what they feel can help enhance the quality and efficiency of their inspection duties.

Most Provinces and Territories across Canada already require use of the standardized fire alarm inspection reports, though Ontario was delayed in adopting these national requirements for annual/periodic inspections, they have now announced they will come into force on January 1, 2026. There are more robust testing and reporting requirements to be aware of. The time to complete your inspection will increase, so inform your customers now and train your technicians. We will be offering additional training this fall at our Ottawa (on October 30th) and Southwestern Ontario (on November 20th) Annual Technical Training events, registration will open soon at www.cfaa.ca/events. We will be offering one-hour lunch and learn webinars to cover highlights of Ontario’s new requirements that will be offered on Wednesday, Oct. 15, Nov. 13 and Dec. 17. Stay tuned for registration details.

CFAA also offers a deep dive into these new inspection reporting requirements via our online recorded training webinars, purchase via the link below:

https://www.orderline.com/annual-inspection-reporting-to-can-ulc-s536-2019-ce-pack

Single Exit Stairwell Designs in Mid- and High-Rise Buildings

There is ongoing discussion and debate related to recent 2024 British Columbia Building Code changes that allows new residential buildings to increase their height/floor limits using a single exit stairwell design up to six stories. The National Building Code of Canada currently only permits two stories max. What does this mean for the fire protection and life safety aspects of future building designs in BC? Have all potential hazards and risks been considered? Will this become a national easement in building design in future?

I am pleased to be moderating a panel discussion on this topic at our upcoming BC FIRECON event on September 26 that we are co-hosting with the Fire Protection Association of BC. We will discuss the architectural, firefighting and engineering perspectives on this issue. For more information or to register for our two-day BC FIRECON event, please visit our event website at www.bcfirecon.ca. Hope to see you there in-person or online!

“Prevention is the key to safety.”