Requirements for Commercial Fire Alarm Systems in Canada
Making sure your commercial fire alarm systems are in compliance with all applicable regulations can be confusing. There are numerous regulatory overseers to consider – the national fire code, national building code, national plumbing code, jurisdictional fire code such as the British Columbia code, and local codes within a city or municipality. All can apply to each commercial building, and within each code there are a large number of requirements that must be met.
Standards for installation of fire alarm systems are set out specifically, and it is up to each business or building owner to ensure that their systems follow the rules. If your building is not up to code, even if you don’t know it, you can be held liable for any problems that arise. From fire safety equipment to the number of alarms, essentially every aspect of fire protection is heavily regulated.
For the average person, it can be quite challenging to sort out these regulations on your own. Gaining access to the codes is difficult and can be expensive or time-consuming, and translating each set of regulations into something the layperson can understand is not an easy task. To add to the challenges, regulatory codes change frequently and certain provisions are added and repealed. Unless you know the codes well, you might run into problems no matter how hard you try to be compliant.
If you are worried about national Canadian fire alarm code and standards, including the building code, the fire code, and the plumbing code, one of the best things you can do for yourself, and your company, is to work with a company experienced in meeting all regulatory standards.
A fire protection service can handle installation and maintenance of your commercial fire alarm systems, so you can rest assured you are perfectly complaint with all laws.
