Know the Code

• A CO alarm is now required on every storey of a building.
• A CO alarm is required next to every sleeping area (i.e., in the hallway outside sleeping rooms).
• These rules apply to residential and care facilities that have fuel-burning appliances, fireplaces, or an attached garage.
• The goal is to provide quicker alerts and faster exits during an incident.

• New standards for the inspection, testing, and verification of fire alarm systems are being introduced.
• A new functional load test is required for standby batteries, replacing the old capacity testing method. All readings must be recorded in official inspection reports.

• There are new requirements for fire safety plans and increased accountability. Improved harmonization with the 2020 NFC on various requirements, including requirements for:
  • flammable and combustible liquids
  • dangerous goods
  • aerosol products
  • combustible dusts, etc.
• Alignment with some recent changes to the Ontario Building Code, including:
  • new maintenance requirements for mass timber encapsulation materials
  • new testing requirements for integrated life safety and fire protection systems
  • new requirements for certain farm buildings, etc.
• Strengthened fire safety for existing boarding, lodging, and rooming houses and two-unit residential occupancies. This is achieved through new smoke alarm requirements, as well as new requirements for reduced flame-spread ratings of certain interior wall and ceiling finishes; and
• Updated references to more current editions of standards, legislation, and other documents.

• Familiarize yourself with the alarm’s instruction manual and the features of your alarm to ensure you can hear and recognize the sights and sounds of the alarm.
• To avoid a false alarm due to cooking do not install smoke alarms directly inside the kitchen.

• Monthly: test smoke alarms once a month by pressing the test button on the face of the alarm to confirm that the alarm is functioning. Use the handle of a mop or broom so your feet never have to leave the ground.
• Semi-annually: there are two kinds of smoke alarms – battery operated and hardwired. Change the batteries in battery-operated alarms two times per year. Most hardwired alarms now contain a concealed battery back-up that cannot be changed.
• Annually: once a year it is time to clean your alarm. Dust and debris from day-to-day life can accumulate in the sensing chamber of your alarms. Vacuum the sensing chamber and other openings of the alarm or blow them out using compressed air. Re-install the alarm and test that it is working by pressing the test button on the face of the alarm.

While you have your alarm down check the side or back of the alarm for a replacement date. If the alarm is ten years or older it is time to replace it with a brand new alarm – even if it is hardwired.

Please review the Ontario Build Code requirements below based on the year your home was built. Homes built after 2012 will need to meet all the requirements outlined for 2012.

• On March 1, 2006 the Ontario Fire Code required smoke alarms on every storey of every home resulting in the retrofit of all homes constructed prior to 2006, the additional smoke alarms are permitted to be battery operated.

• Install smoke and carbon monoxide alarms based on the Ontario Fire Code
• Maintain smoke and carbon monoxide alarms by ensuring they are in operating condition
• Provide a copy of the manufacturer’s maintenance instructions to the tenant

Tenants must: 

• Not disable smoke or carbon monoxide alarms
• Notify their landlord as soon as they are aware that a smoke or carbon monoxide alarm in the unit is disconnected, not operating, or impaired
• Contact Brantford Fire at 519-752-0540 if your landlord is in violation of the Ontario Fire Code.

The penalties for violating these requirements under the Fire Protection and Prevention Act (FPPA) are: 

• An individual convicted of an offence is liable to a fine of not more than $50,000 for a first offence and not more than $100,000 for a subsequent offence, or to imprisonment for a term of not more than one year, or to both.

• A corporation convicted of an offence is liable to a fine of not more than $500,000 for a first offence and not more than $1,500,000 for a subsequent offence.

  • A director or officer of a corporation who knows that the corporation is violating or has violated a provision of the fire code is guilty of an offence and on conviction is liable to a fine of not more than $50,000 for a first offence and not more than $100,000 for a subsequent offence or to imprisonment for a term of not more than one year, or to both.

  • Every director or officer of a corporation who knowingly commits an offence is guilty of an offence and on conviction is liable to a fine of not more than $50,000 for a first offence and not more than $100,000 for a subsequent offence or to imprisonment for a term of not more than one year, or to both.