3.2.5.

(1) Except for storeys below the first storey, direct access for fire fighting shall be provided from the outdoors to every storey that is not sprinklered and whose floor level is less than 25 m above grade, by at least one unobstructed window or access panel for each 15 m of wall in each wall required to face a street by Subsection 3.2.2.

(2) An opening for access required by Sentence (1) shall,

(a) have a sill no higher than 1070 mm above the inside floor, and

(b) be not less than 1 100 mm high by not less than,

(i) 550 mm wide for a building not designed for the storage or use of dangerous goods, or

(ii) 750 mm wide for a building designed for the storage or use of dangerous goods.

(3) Access panels above the first storey shall be readily openable from both inside and outside, or the opening shall be glazed with plain glass.

(1) Direct access from at least one street shall be provided from the outdoors to each basement,

(a) that is not sprinklered, and

(b) that has horizontal dimension more than 25 m.

(2) The access required by Sentence (1) is permitted to be provided by,

(a) doors, windows or other means that provide an opening not less than 1 100 mm high and 550 mm wide, with a sill no higher than 900 mm above the inside floor, or

(b) an interior stairway immediately accessible from the outdoors.

(1) On a building more than 3 storeys in building height where the slope of the roof is less than 1 in 4, all main roof areas shall be provided with direct access from the floor areas immediately below, either by,

(a) a stairway, or

(b) a hatch not less than 550 mm by 900 mm with a fixed ladder.

(2) Clearance and access around roof signs or other obstructions shall provide,

(a) a passage not less than 900 mm wide by 1 800 mm high, clear of all obstructions except for necessary horizontal supports not more than 600 mm above the roof surface,

(i) around every roof sign, and

(ii) through every roof sign at locations not more than 15 m apart, and

(b) a clearance of not less than 1 200 mm between any portion of a roof sign and any opening in the exterior wall face or roof of the building in which it is erected.

(1) A building that is more than 3 storeys in building height or more than 600 m² in building area shall be provided with access routes for fire department vehicles,

(a) to the building face having a principal entrance, and

(b) to each building face having access openings for fire fighting as required by Articles 3.2.5.1. and 3.2.5.2.

(1) Access routes required by Article 3.2.5.4. shall be located so that the principal entrance and every access opening required by Articles 3.2.5.1. and 3.2.5.2. are located not less than 3 m and not more than 15 m from the closest portion of the access route required for fire department use, measured horizontally from the face of the building.

(2) Access routes shall be provided to a building so that,

(a) for a building provided with a fire department connection, a fire department pumper vehicle can be located adjacent to the hydrants referred to in Article 3.2.5.16.,

(b) for a building not provided with a fire department connection, a fire department pumper vehicle can be located so that the length of the access route from a hydrant to the vehicle plus the unobstructed path of travel for the fire fighter from the vehicle to the building is not more than 90 m, and

(c) the unobstructed path of travel for the fire fighter from the vehicle to the building is not more than 45 m.

(3) The unobstructed path of travel for the fire fighter required by Sentence (2) from the vehicle to the building shall be measured from the vehicle to the fire department connection provided for the building, except that if no fire department connection is provided, the path of travel shall be measured to the principal entrance of the building.

(4) If a portion of a building is completely cut off from the remainder of the building so that there is no access to the remainder of the building, the access routes required by Sentence (2) shall be located so that the unobstructed path of travel from the vehicle to one entrance of each portion of the building is not more than 45 m.

(1) A portion of a roadway or yard provided as a required access route for fire department use shall,

(a) have a clear width not less than 6 m, unless it can be shown that lesser widths are satisfactory,

(b) have a centreline radius not less than 12 m,

(c) have an overhead clearance not less than 5 m,

(d) have a change of gradient not more than 1 in 12.5 over a minimum distance of 15 m,

(e) be designed to support the expected loads imposed by fire fighting equipment and be surfaced with concrete, asphalt or other material designed to permit accessibility under all climatic conditions,

(f) have turnaround facilities for any dead-end portion of the access route more than 90 m long, and

(g) be connected with a public thoroughfare.

(1) An adequate water supply for fire fighting shall be provided for every building.

(2) Hydrants shall be located within 90 m horizontally of any portion of a building perimeter that is required to face a street in Subsection 3.2.2.

(1) Except as permitted by Sentences (2) to (4), an automatic sprinkler system shall be designed, constructed, installed and tested in conformance with NFPA 13, “Installation of Sprinkler Systems”.

(2) Instead of the requirements of Sentence (1), NFPA 13R, “Installation of Sprinkler Systems in Residential Occupancies up to and Including Four Stories in Height”, is permitted to be used for the design, construction, installation and testing of an automatic sprinkler system installed in a building,

(a) of residential occupancy that is not more than 4 storeys in building height or

(b) of Group B, Division 3 occupancy that contains sleeping accommodation for not more than 10 persons and not more than 6 occupants require assistance in evacuation in case of an emergency.

(3) Instead of the requirements of Sentence (1), NFPA 13D, “Installation of Sprinkler Systems in One- and Two-Family Dwellings and Mobile Homes”, is permitted to be used for the design, construction, installation and testing of an automatic sprinkler system installed in a building of residential occupancy that contains not more than 2 dwelling units.

(4) If a building contains fewer than 9 sprinklers, the water supply for these sprinklers is permitted to be supplied from the domestic water system for the building provided the required flow for the sprinklers can be met by the domestic system.

(5) If a water supply serves both an automatic sprinkler system and a system serving other equipment, control valves shall be provided so that either system can be shut off independently.

(6) Notwithstanding the requirements of the standards referenced in Sentences (1) and (2) for the installation of automatic sprinkler systems, sprinklers shall not be omitted in any room or closet in the storey immediately below a roof assembly if the fire-resistance rating of the roof assembly is waived as permitted by Article 3.2.2.17.

(7) Fast response sprinklers shall be installed in care or detention occupancies and in sprinklered residential occupancies.

(8) Sprinklers in elevator machine rooms shall have a temperature rating not less than that required for an intermediate temperature classification and shall be protected against physical damage.

(1) Combustible sprinkler piping shall be used only for wet systems in residential occupancies and other light hazard occupancies.

(2) Combustible sprinkler piping shall meet the requirements of ULC/ORD-199P-M, “Combustible Piping for Sprinkler Systems”.

(3) Except as permitted by Sentence (5), combustible sprinkler piping shall be separated from the area served by the sprinkler system, and from any other fire compartment, by ceilings, walls, or soffits consisting of, as a minimum,

(a) lath and plaster,

(b) gypsum board not less than 9.5 mm thick,

(c) plywood not less than 13 mm thick, or

(d) a suspended membrane ceiling with,

(i) steel suspension grids, and

(ii) lay-in panels or tiles having a mass not less than 1.7 kg/m².

(4) Except as permitted by Sentence (5), combustible sprinkler piping may be located above a ceiling, provided that the distance between the edge of any ceiling opening that is not protected in conformance with Sentence (3) and the nearest sprinkler is not more than 300 mm.

(5) The protection required by Sentences (3) and (4) is permitted to be waived where combustible sprinkler piping has been tested in conformance with ULC/ORD-C199P-M, “Combustible Piping for Sprinkler Systems”, and has been shown to meet the requirements in that document without additional protection.

(1) An automatic sprinkler system shall be installed in a service space referred to in Sentence 3.2.1.1.(9) if flooring for access within the service space is other than catwalks.

(2) The sprinkler system required by Sentence (1) shall be equipped with waterflow detecting devices, with each device serving not more than one storey.

(3) The waterflow detecting devices required by Sentence (2) shall be connected to the fire alarm system, to

(a) initiate an alert signal in a 2 stage system or an alarm signal in a single stage system, and

(b) indicate separately on the fire alarm system annunciator the actuation of each device.

(4) If a building is sprinklered, sprinkler protection need not be provided in the space below a raised floor in a computer room,

(a) if the optical fibre cables and electrical wires and cables in this space conform to the test requirements in Article 3.1.5.21.,

(b) if the building is of noncombustible construction and other combustible components are limited to those permitted in Subsection 3.1.5.,

(c) if this space is used to circulate conditioned air and the air handling system is designed to prevent the circulation of smoke upon a signal from a smoke detector,

(d) if all of this space is easily accessible by providing access sections or panels in the raised floor, and

(e) if the computer room is more than 2 000 m² and the annunciator has separate zone indicators of the actuation of smoke detectors located in this space so that the coverage for each zone is not more than 2 000 m².

(5) Where a room, chute or bin is required to be sprinklered as indicated in Sentence 3.3.4.3.(1), Article 3.6.2.5. and Sentence 3.6.3.3.(6), the sprinklers may be supplied with water from the fire standpipe system provided that,

(a) except for a chute, not more than 8 sprinkler heads are required to protect any room or bin based on a maximum coverage of 12 m² per sprinkler head,

(b) the standpipe riser is,

(i) not less than 6 in. in diameter, or

(ii) hydraulically designed to meet combined water supply as specified in Clause (c),

(c) the water supply for a standpipe system, pumping capability and water storage facility, if required, is increased to supply 95 L/min for each sprinkler head over and above the requirements for the standpipe system up to maximum 760 L/min for sprinklers,

(d) a waterflow detecting device shall be installed in the sprinkler main adjacent to the point of connection to the standpipe riser, and

(e) the activation of each waterflow detecting device in Clause (d) shall be indicated separately on the fire alarm system annunciator.

(1) The fire department connection for a standpipe system shall be located so that the distance from the fire department connection to a hydrant is not more than 45 m and is unobstructed.

(2) The fire department connection for an automatic sprinkler system shall be located so that the distance from the fire department connection to a hydrant is not more than 45 m and is unobstructed.

(3) The fire department connections required in Sentences (1) and (2) shall be,

(a) located on the outside of a building adjacent to a street or an access route, not less than 300 mm and not more than 900 mm above ground level, and

(b) provided with two 65 mm hose connections with female swivel hose couplings.

(1) Portable fire extinguishers shall be installed in all buildings, except within dwelling units, in conformance with the provisions of Part 6 of the Fire Code made under the Fire Protection and Prevention Act, 1997.

(2) In a Group B, Division 1 major occupancy, portable fire extinguishers are permitted to be located in secure areas, or in lockable cabinets provided,

(a) identical keys for all cabinets are located at all supervisory or security stations, or

(b) electrical remote release devices are provided and are connected to an emergency power supply.

(1) Equipment forming part of a fire protection system shall be protected from freezing if,

(a) it could be adversely affected by freezing temperatures, and

(b) it is located in an unheated area.

(1) A fire pump having a rated net head pressure greater than 280 kPa shall be installed in accordance with the requirements of NFPA 20, “Installation of Stationary Pumps for Fire Protection”.