Fire Prevention

As more people have moved outside to smoke, there’s been a shift in smoking-related fires from indoors to outdoors. Instead of the sofa or bed catching fire, fires in planters on balconies or decks have been a growing concern. In dry conditions, it doesn’t take much more than a butt tossed off a balcony or from a vehicle window to start a grassfire that could potentially affect an entire community. Smoking outdoors may reduce risks inside, but it comes with a new set of risks outside.

Smoking materials are responsible for many preventable fires. Every time you light a cigarette, you potentially increase the risk of an unintended fire.

While accidents do happen, smoking-related fires are almost always preventable with a bit of caution and forethought. Consider the following tips if you’re a smoker, if you have a smoker living in your home, or if you have a business or property where smoking happens.

Fires occurred while cigarettes were being used, the battery was being charged, or the device was being transported. Battery failures have led to small explosions.

Never leave charging e-cigarettes unattended. E-cigarettes should be used with caution.

The best way to extinguish your cigarette is in a non-combustible container filled with a non-combustible material. That could be sand in a metal bucket, a can, or in a glass jar. The biggest thing to remember is that planters or flower pots are NEVER a safe place for cigarette butts. The soil in planters or pots often contains material that can burn or smoulder for hours. You could think you’ve successfully stubbed out a cigarette in the morning, only to have the back of your house fully engulfed in flames by the afternoon. Sand in an empty can is cheap and easy. Replacing a home is not.

Fire inspections are important for the safety of the public, people who live and work in buildings and for firefighters who may have to enter the building in an emergency situation. It is imperative that in an emergency, all building occupants are able to get out in a safe and timely manner.

The British Columbia Fire Services Act requires that all “Public” buildings are inspected on a regular system of inspections. The Abbotsford Fire Rescue Service inspects all public buildings on a one or two-year rotational basis, or sooner if required.

During a fire inspection, the Abbotsford Fire Rescue Service is checking to ensure the buildings and the process and/or occupants are meeting the requirements of the current edition of the British Columbia Fire Code and the Fire Service Bylaw 3055-2020. This includes checking the condition and maintenance of fire protection equipment such as fire alarms, sprinkler systems, automatic suppression system, fire extinguishers, emergency lighting, power systems, exiting, fire department access and the presence of fire hazards.

To book a non-scheduled inspection, contact the Fire Prevention Division at 604-853-3566.

Know your Responsibilities

Making sure buildings are free of fire hazards isn’t just common sense – it’s the law. Building owners are legally responsible for fulfilling certain requirements of the British Columbia Fire Code – and could receive fines and/or jail time for non-compliance. Ignorance of the law is not a defense.

Division C, Part 2, Section 2.2, Sentence 2.2.1.1 of the code states, “Unless otherwise specified, the owner or the owner’s authorized agent shall be responsible for carrying out the provisions of this code.”

The Abbotsford Fire Rescue Service has compiled the Fire Safety and You booklet to make local building owners aware of their responsibilities under the fire code. The booklet includes responsibilities of a general nature as well as those that are specific to particular building types or uses.

Types of Buildings Covered in the Fire Safety and You Booklet

Other than private family dwellings, all buildings in the City of Abbotsford are subject to fire inspections and are responsible for meeting certain standards under the B.C. Fire Code. This includes the following types of occupancies:
Multi-unit residential occupancies, such as townhouses and apartments (common areas only) 

• Assembly occupancies, including Halls, Churches, Restaurants, and Pubs
• Daycares and Preschools
• Hospitals and Health Care Facilities
• Manufacturers 
• Multi-Residential 
• Offices
• Retail and commercial
• Schools and Educational Facilities
• Service stations, including Gas Stations and Automotive Repair Shops
• Warehouses 

In addition to the common Fire Code requirements listed inside the booklet, additional requirements apply to all of the occupancies listed above. Owner/occupant inspection information handouts are available from the City of Abbotsford Fire Rescue Service for these occupancies. 

All fires under the BC Fire Services Act are required to be investigated within three days. Fires are investigated for cause, origin and circumstance. By investigating the fire, we are able to determine if it could have been prevented and once determined, measures can be put into place to prevent re-occurrences.

Most fires are accidental and are therefore preventable, but some fires are intentionally set and then become a criminal offense. In these cases, the police are involved with the fire investigator on the fire scene and assist with seizing of evidence and possible criminal charges.

Fire Lanes

Fire lanes are put in place to allow the Abbotsford Fire Rescue Service access to the site so they can perform firefighting functions. The British Columbia Building Code requires that: Fire lanes must be a minimum 6 metres wide, 5 metres high and have a 12 metre center line radius. 

• If a dead-end is over 90 metres in length, a fire truck turnaround must be installed.
• Turnarounds and fire lanes must be a solid surface that safely supports the weight of our heaviest apparatus.
• Fire lanes must be marked with signage approved by the Fire Chief.
• All gates and chains must be approved by the Abbotsford Fire Rescue Service.
• All gates and chains blocking public access to the fire lanes must be clearly marked on both sides. For signage requirements, refer to the Fire Service Bylaw No. 3055-2020.

Parking Restrictions

No person shall park a vehicle within 5 meters of a fire hydrant, measured from a point in the curb or edge of the roadway closest to the fire hydrant as stated in the Street and Traffic Bylaw No. 3066-2021.

Fire Prevention Tip

Property owners and managers are reminded to ensure trees and vegetation is trimmed to meet height and width requirements of the fire lanes. 

Permits are required for the following:

• Fireworks Permit 
• Occupant Load Signs 
• Special Events Approval 
• Open Burning Permit

“Make Fire Safety – Part of your Business”

The British Columbia Fire Code, Section 2.8 requires the establishment and implementation of a Fire Safety Plan for every building containing a Group 'A' - Assembly (churches, schools, restaurants, etc.) or Group 'B' - Care/Detention (care home, prison, etc.) occupancy and to every building required by the Building Code to have a Fire Alarm System.

The implementation of a Fire Safety Plan helps to assure effective maintenance and utilization of Life Safety features in a building, to protect people from fire. The required Fire Safety Plan should be designed to suit the resources of each individual building or complex of buildings.

Fire Safety Plans are intended to assist the owner of a building with the basic essentials for the safety of all occupants. They are also designed to ensure an orderly evacuation at the time of an emergency and to provide a maximum degree of flexibility to achieve the necessary Fire Safety for the building. There is a review fee depending on the building systems.

For more information, contact the Fire Prevention Division.

Fire Safety Plan Templates:

• Bed & Breakfast Facility
• Childcare Facility
• Recovery House Facility

Abbotsford Fire Rescue Service (AFRS) has restrictions in place for open-flame cooking at events due to the high risk of potential injury and destruction to property and the environment.

Open-flame cooking for events, particularly with oil-based deep-fat frying, can spill and splatter easily leading to devastating impacts on event operators and attendees. Examples of open-flame cooking include boiling a large pot of water for hotdogs or deep-frying French fries, Samosas, Fritters, Pakoras, Donuts, and other oil-based deep-fat fried foods.

An NFPA 96-approved facility, such as a commercial kitchen can be used for open-flame cooking as well as an AFRS/Greater Vancouver inspected and licensed food truck (with Fraser Health approval). If these options are not available, AFRS will allow outdoor open-flame cooking when the following safety requirements are met:

Plan:

Have a cooking safety plan in place that includes items like emergency contact information for event organizers and fuel storage procedures, and provide it to AFRS ahead of the event.

Have a fire extinguisher (minimum rating of 2A-10BC) ready to use at the event. Use certified appliances and tents:

If cooking/reheating with an open flame underneath a tent or awning, the structure must be fire-rated (CAN/ULC S109) and meet fire retardant standards (NFPA 705 flame test), along with having the appropriate label/identification affixed to the tent/awning or in possession of the operator. Appliances, such as barbeques, must comply with the Canadian Standards Association and have compliance identification. Operate safely: To protect those cooking and event attendees, cordon off the cooking area with a 3-foot radius designated for cooking with an open flame and have a fire extinguisher nearby.

The AFRS Fire Prevention Division conducts checks at events to ensure businesses and event operators are compliant with these instructions and may issue fines of up to $500 for violations of the City of Abbotsford Fire Service Bylaw No. 3055-2020.

While this does not apply to open-flame cooking in private residences, community members are reminded to use caution and protect themselves and family members from the risks of open-flame cooking.

In order to prevent and mitigate the fire and life safety issues associated with vacant properties, the City of Abbotsford requires that all vacant and/or abandoned properties be secured against unauthorized entry until such time as the property is demolished and/or lawfully occupied.

The property owner(s) or their agent(s) who have vacant and/or abandoned properties are responsible to:

1. Secure and maintain the condition of their property (structures and land) such that all potential fire and life safety hazards are mitigated.
2. Regularly inspect the condition of their property and take corrective measures as needed.

The hazards and risks associated with vacant premises are enforced through the City of Abbotsford’s Fire Service Bylaw No. 3055-2020 and Securing Vacant Premises Guideline.