Fire By-law 12472

For details, refer to the Fire Bylaw, Division B, Article 2.7.1.3.

For your safety, Vancouver Fire and Rescue Services enforces a limit on the number of people who may assemble in the same premises, and for any establishment that serves licensed beverages.

The limit to the number of occupants is determined by factors related to the floor layout, width of exits, furniture arrangements, and lighting. For your convenience, download and complete the Occupancy Load Regulations and Calculation package below.

Every dwelling unit in the City needs to have CO alarms installed, if the dwelling unit:

• Has an attached garage
• Has a fuel-fired (natural gas, fuel oil, diesel) appliance (furnace, hot water tank, stove, fireplace)
• Shares a common floor or wall with a parking garage, or a service room containing a fuel-fired appliance

CO alarms can be battery-powered, electrically plugged-in type, or hard-wired. They must be CSA listed.  

If hard-wired or electrically plugged-in type, ensure the CO alarm is not connected to an electrical circuit that has an on/off switch, other than at the circuit-breaker.

Where a dwelling unit requires a CO alarm, the CO alarm must be installed either inside each bedroom or outside each bedroom within 5 m of the bedroom door, measured following corridors and doorways.

The manufacturer’s instructions are to be followed for the height of installation of the device. In the absence of manufacturer’s instructions, they are to be installed on or near the ceiling (within 150 mm).

Property owners are responsible for maintaining means of egress including exterior stairs, landings, passageways, and fire escapes in good repair.

Effective June 25, 2020, all buildings over 3 storeys in height other than single-family houses and duplexes with or without secondary suites are required to have professional structural engineers engaged in the inspection, testing, and repair of exterior means of egress.  Each exterior means of egress structure must have a weather-resistant tag visible from the ground level which indicates whether the structure is safe to use, use with caution, or is unsafe to use.

For more information on structural assessments on exterior means of egress, read bulletin 2020-001-FI PDF file  (306 KB).  

See examples of the engineer assessment tags PDF file (80 KB) and download the templates for the engineer assessment tags Word file (20 KB).

Exploding animal deterrents such as bear bangers, air bangers, and seal bombs are a hand-held, loud, exploding device used to deter wildlife in remote areas. The loud noise can keep animals from approaching, but also carry the risk of frightening wildlife toward the user, and are a potential fire hazard in dry conditions. Under the Federal Explosives Act, using exploding animal deterrents such as bear bangers for anything other than personal protection from wildlife is illegal.  

Exploding animal deterrents are not classified as fireworks.

Within Vancouver

To protect the safety of residents in Vancouver and reduce unwelcomed noise, bear bangers, and other exploding animal deterrents are not permitted to be sold or used within the city limits. 

Anyone selling or using these devices in Vancouver may be subject to a ticket carrying a fine of $1,000 per offence.

In the wilderness

Vancouver residents who use bear bangers and other exploding animal deterrents in the wilderness outside of the city may continue to purchase them online from stores that do not reside in Vancouver or from neighbouring municipalities.

Parks Canada has banned the use of bear bangers in federal parks. They also recommend a protocol of alerting wildlife to human presence by travelling in groups and speaking loudly, singing, or carrying a noise making device like pebbles in a can, and carrying bear spray for close encounters.

BC Parks and the BC Conservation Officer Services recommend a bear deterrent protocol similar to Parks Canada, including using bear spray and other non-exploding deterrents.

Note Because of the explosive nature of bear bangers, they are considered hazardous waste and must be handled carefully for disposal. To safely dispose of an unused bear banger, call the Vancouver Police Department's Non-Emergency Line at 604-717-3321.

1. Access for fire, rescue, and emergency response must be kept clear at all times.
2. Combustible materials shall not be permitted to accumulate in or around a building, or in any part of a public corridor, exit, ventilation shaft, crawl or ceiling space.
3. In storage rooms, maintain a minimum clearance of 45 cm (18 inches) between the sprinkler deflector and any stored items.
4. Keep mechanical and electrical service rooms clear of all storage. Label doors with the purpose of the room, and equip them with self closing devices.
5. Underground parking garages are to be used primarily for vehicle storage. The City will serve a violation notice if the amount of stored items exceeds the capacity of the fire protection sprinklers. The sprinkler system must be reviewed by a professional engineer and may need upgrading in the following situations:
   • Excessive amount of stored items (such as in general storage rooms)
   • Higher rates of heat release are expected (for example, when there is a large amount of plastics).

Smoke alarms

Every dwelling unit – new, altered, or existing – must have working smoke alarms.

For single family dwelling buildings without a secondary suite, or for locations in a dwelling unit where smoke alarms were not required by the Building Bylaw at the time of construction or alteration of the dwelling unit, smoke alarms may be battery-operated.

For dwelling units in multi-unit residential buildings, smoke alarms must be hard-wired to an electrical circuit. 

Underground storage tanks

Property owners must remove underground storage tanks and all associated pipe connectors that have been out of service for two years. This reduces the risk of leaking flammable or combustible liquids into the surrounding soil.

In some cases, the property owner may apply for a permit to abandon the underground storage tank in place and empty  liquids. Another permit will be required to remove the tank at a later date. If contaminated soil is found, the owner must remove and replace it with clean fill.

Apply for a permit to remove or abandon a tank.

A false alarm is when:

1. A fire alarm system, security system, or similar system that's designed to notify the Vancouver Fire and Rescue Service of a fire or emergency is activated,
2. VFRS is notified directly or indirectly,
3. VFRS attends, and
4. There is no evidence of a fire or emergency.

In most instances, false alarms are caused by alarm testing, mechanical failure, atmospheric conditions, or mischief.

What to do if an alarm is in progress

If an alarm is in progress and you:

• Don't know the cause, vacate the property and phone 911
• Know the cause, such as alarm testing, call 911 and let VFRS know to not attend

Service fees and fines

Other than mischief calls, VFRS will charge a $216 service fee for attending the third and subsequent false fire alarm occurring in one calendar year.

When false fire alarms are caused by a person found to have mischievous or malicious intent, that person can be fined a municipal ticket costing a minimum $500.   

1. Fire and exit doors shall be equipped with self closing devices.
2. Fire and exit doors shall properly close and latch.
3. Fire and exit doors shall not be locked to prevent exit.
4. Fire doors shall be properly labelled in capital letters a minimum of 6 mm in height. Use the text: FIRE DOOR - KEEP CLOSED
5. Suite doors shall be equipped with self closing devices and shall properly close and latch.
6. No wedges, blocks, or other devices are permitted to hold doors open. Magnetic hold open devices (with permit) are allowed.

In areas where regulated by bylaw:

1. An ASTTBC-certified technician shall inspect and tag the following items annually:
   • Sprinkler and standpipe systems
   • Fire alarm systems
   • Emergency lighting equipment
   • Portable fire extinguishers
   • Commercial kitchen automatic extinguishing systems
2. Commercial kitchen hood and duct ventilation systems shall be inspected at least once per week. When grease or other residue deposits appear within the hood or ducts, an ASTTBC-certified technician shall clean and tag the system, generally every 3 to 12 months depending on the amount of cooking. Systems serving solid fuel cooking operations generally require inspection and cleaning by an ASTTBC-certified technician every 30 days.
3. It's not necessary to notify VFRS of planned fire drills or tests of fire protection systems. However, notify your alarm monitoring company of any tests to prevent false fire alarms.

The sale and use of fireworks by the general public is no longer permitted in Vancouver.

While fireworks may continue at community events such as Lunar New Year, Diwali, Celebration of Lights, and Canada Day, they may only be discharged by a certified firework technician who must hold all of the following:

• Federal Fireworks Operator Certificate
• Municipal Fire Permit from Vancouver Fire Rescue Services
   

1. The maximum amount of flammable and combustible liquids that can be stored in a:
   • Dwelling unit is 30 litres, of which up to 10 litres can be a flammable liquid (Class 1 liquid, such as gasoline)
   • Room of an office building or a school is 10 litres, of which 5 litres can be a flammable liquid (Class 1 liquid)
2. Flammable and combustible liquids shall not be stored on exterior balconies.
3. Quantities exceeding those above shall be stored in a storage room:
   • Having no openings into the public portions of the building.
   • Not located below the first storey.
4. Propane shall not be stored in a building.
5. For more information and specific enquiries about flammable and combustible liquid storage, contact the Fire Prevention Office.

Every dwelling unit – new, altered, or existing – must have working smoke alarms.

For single family dwelling buildings without a secondary suite, or for locations in a dwelling unit where smoke alarms were not required by the Building Bylaw at the time of construction or alteration of the dwelling unit, smoke alarms may be battery-operated.

For dwelling units in multi-unit residential buildings, smoke alarms must be hard-wired to an electrical circuit. 

Property owners must remove underground storage tanks and all associated pipe connectors that have been out of service for two years. This reduces the risk of leaking flammable or combustible liquids into the surrounding soil.

In some cases, the property owner may apply for a permit to abandon the underground storage tank in place and empty  liquids. Another permit will be required to remove the tank at a later date. If contaminated soil is found, the owner must remove and replace it with clean fill.

Apply for a permit to remove or abandon a tank.

If a building is vacant and shows signs of disrepair, the building must be secured against unauthorized entry that could lead to fire hazards. 

Property owners must ensure that buildings and sites are free from hazards and are maintained in conformity with accepted health, fire, and building requirements.

For more information on securing a vacant property and removing fire hazards read the security of vacant buildings bulletin PDF file (149 KB).