The purpose of a Fire Code audit is to identify items requiring action to meet the minimum fire and life safety requirements in the Fire Code, for which the owner of an existing building is responsible. These audits may form part of a larger Property or Building Condition Assessment (PCA / BCA) prepared for the purposes of due diligence, pre-lease / pre-purchase, building renovation, or re-mortgage.

MGA will conduct Fire Code audits to review and identify components of an existing building that are required to be upgraded or repaired in order to maintain the minimum level of safety as established by the provisions of the Fire Code. Items to be reviewed include fire separations, means of egress, fire alarm and fire suppression systems.

In Ontario, existing buildings of specific occupancies (namely assembly, residential, healthcare, and hotel) are required to undergo a Retrofit Audit to establish required upgrading for achieving a minimum level of life safety through containment, means of egress, suppression and detection methods. Although the Ontario Fire Code retrofit requirements have existed for over 30 years, there are many facilities for which a Retrofit Audit has yet to be conducted. The Ontario Fire Code places the responsibility for conforming to the retrofit requirements squarely on the owners of a building. In addition to the legal mandate to comply with retrofit requirements, failure to complete any necessary retrofitting may have an impact on insurance and mortgage matters related to the facility.

MGA will conduct a comprehensive visual, non-destructive audit of the building and provide documentation outlining any noted retrofit deficiencies as well as cost effective compliance solutions. In the event that compliance with a prescriptive retrofit requirement of the Ontario Fire Code is not feasible, MGA will review alternative methods / concepts and prepare a Life Safety Study that will describe how the intent of the prescriptive retrofit requirement can be achieved.

An inspection of your building / facility by the local Fire Services (as permitted under the Fire Protection and Prevention Act (FPPA) may unearth Fire Code violations requiring rectification by the building owner. These Fire Code infractions are typically reported in a Notice of Violation or an Inspection Order.

MGA assists by reviewing the violations outlined in the Notice of Violation / Inspection Order against the as-built conditions of the facility and by providing solutions to the items raised. MGA will also assist with authority discussions regarding the proposed resolutions, including concept discussions, and the schedule of implementation and rectification of the issue.

Fire Safety Plans (FSPs) are documents that provide direction and guidance for the safe evacuation of occupants, actions to be taken by supervisory staff, and requirements for maintaining fire protection and life safety systems serving the facility. Fire Safety Plans are mandated for certain occupancies or based on certain facility characteristics (ranging from townhouses to high hazard industrial buildings and high rise complexes) under Section 2.8 of the Fire Codes and are to be implemented at or before occupancy.

In cooperation with your local Fire Services, MGA will develop a Fire Safety Plan for your facility, outlining building resources, responsible (supervisory) personnel, their roles and responsibilities, evacuation procedures, maintenance requirements, fire drill procedures, fire prevention measures, and alternative safety measures. In addition, MGA will create schematic floor and site plan diagrams illustrating exit locations and select fire and life safety system device locations. The completed document will be submitted to the local Fire Services for review and approval.

MGA will also assist with the creation of training programs and presentations geared towards owners and operators, supervisory personnel, and occupants. This training material can be fashioned to be a high level overview of the Plan in its entirety, or tailored to address the content of your Fire Safety Plan specific to a given supervisory personnel and their roles and responsibilities.

The Fire Code requires that a Fire Safety Plan be rehearsed at regularly scheduled intervals (as dictated by the Fire Code based on the building characteristics) to ensure proper implementation of the building’s approved Plan. A fire drill is used to reenact and practice the Plan’s emergency evacuation procedures and the roles and responsibilities of supervisory personnel.

MGA will provide guidance and prepare training material on how to conduct and record a fire drill for your facility. If desired, MGA will also observe a fire drill to evaluate the drill and provide feedback on areas requiring improvement.

Evacuation diagrams provide visual information that will present clear and efficient direction to occupants in the event of an emergency evacuation scenario. The diagrams – which can also be referred to as ‘YOU ARE HERE’ drawings – are a pictorial representation of the building floor plans consisting of evacuation and life safety system information relevant to building occupants.

MGA will prepare and assist with the location and positioning of evacuation diagrams for your facility.

The Fire Code requires that your building’s Fire Safety Plan be reviewed on an annual basis to ensure that the information within the plan is up-to-date and that implementation is being carried out. In addition, the Fire Code contains maintenance requirements for the built environment and fire protection systems.

MGA will prepare an Annual Review program catered to your facility’s needs. This program may include a review of the Fire Safety Plan for verification that the information is current, a review of fire drill records, a review of maintenance logs, and a high level Fire Code audit of the building’s common areas relative to occupant life safety and fire protection system maintenance.