Construction Fire Safety in British Columbia Presenters: Katarina Burgess, P.Eng., CP John Bolduc, BASc, EIT CFT Engineering Inc. Brad Walton, AScT
Background and Purpose Background: CFT Engineering Inc. was contracted by Forestry Innovations Investments to prepare a report on construction fire safety in British Columbia. For this project CFT Engineering collaborated with members of the Building Safety Standards Branch, WorkSafe BC and the Wood Enterprise Coalition
Background and Purpose Purpose: To review current legislation regulating construction fire safety and current industry practice, and to provide recommendations for potential changes to legislation and enforcement practices governing construction fire safety in British Columbia
Background and Purpose Context: The report was published prior to the adoption of the 2012 BC Fire Code and the 2012 BC Building Code.
Outline for this Presentation Introduction Levels of Risk during Construction Key Legislative Requirements (2006 BCFC & BCBC) Enforcement Alberta Perspective IBC and NFPA Perspective Reported Fires (2005-2011) Findings from Site Investigations Fire Department Response to Construction Fires Conclusions from Report Recommendations from Report Adoption of the 2012 BC Fire Code (Time permitting)
What Makes Construction Fire Safety Risk Unique? Incomplete fire separations (passive protection) Lack of functional/commissioned fire suppression and detection systems (active protection) Inadequate water supply for manual firefighting Fire Department response effectiveness Increased risk of incendiary fires due to periods where the site is unoccupied, and the incompleteness of security devices Hazardous operations that take place at construction sites (e.g. hot works)
Levels of Risk during Construction Phased Occupancy: There is a greater risk when buildings under construction are partially occupied BC Fire Code requires a 1 hr separation BC Fire Code requires alarms or watched tours Water Supply The water supply needed to fight fires in buildings under construction is often greater than what is needed for completed buildings
Risk Level for Construction Phases
2006 Legislative Requirements Objectives: To provide a framework for reducing or eliminating identifiable risks to fire and life safety BC Fire Code contains the majority of legislative requirements for construction fire safety BCBC addresses the issue through the requirement in Part 8 of the BC Building Code to conform with the BC Fire Code BC Occupational Health and Safety Standard contains some supplementary requirements
2006 Legislative Requirements Fire Safety Plan Required by the 2006 BC Fire Code Checklists have been developed by the Office of the Fire Commissioner and municipalities including the Surrey Fire Service
2006 Legislative Requirements Active System (e.g. detection and fire suppression systems) BC Fire Code requires that a system is provided to alert site personnel of a fire. Air horns are typically provided. Does not require a fixed automatic detection system Passive System (e.g. fire separations) BC Fire Code requires that one usable exit be maintained BC Fire Code requires a 1 hour separation between occupied areas and areas under construction.
2006 Legislative Requirements Manual Suppression Systems BC Fire Code requires that extinguishers be provided in specific areas The BC Fire Code requires standpipe systems be installed progressively Limiting Combustible Materials Combustible refuse in sufficient quantities to constitute a fire hazard is required to be moved to a safe location Barricades BCBC requires perimeter barricades BC Fire Code requires fencing for outdoor storage See Appendix A note
2006 Legislative Requirements Hot Works BC Fire Code requires that hot works be monitored with a fire watch during hot work and after completion Smoking BC Fire Code limits smoking to permitted areas. Heating Equipment The BC Fire Code requires clearances between combustible materials and temporary heating equipment to conform with Part 6 of the BC Building Code or minimum clearances shown on certified heating equipment.
Enforcement of Legislative Requirements The Authority Having Jurisdiction (Fire and Building Authority) is responsible for auditing construction fire safety plans and practices Ultimate responsibility lies with the owner, who typically delegates the implementation of safety practices to the general contractor Many municipalities now require the submission of a construction fire safety plan before construction commences
Construction Fire Safety in Alberta The 2006 Alberta Fire Code has additional or more detailed “unique to Alberta” requirements. Key requirements that differ from the BC Fire Code are as follows: Requirements for adjacent buildings or facilities to be protected from buildings under construction. Additional requirements for access for firefighting. This is also a requirement of the BCBC, but the wording in the Alberta Fire Code is more specific. Extensive additional requirements for the progressive installation of standpipe systems
Construction Fire Safety in Alberta Alberta Standatas have been developed to address: Fire Department access Water supply Standardization of requirements for construction fire safety
Construction Fire Safety in the United States 2012 International Building Code requires: At least one lit stairway be provided where a building is at least 50 ft. or four storeys A specific requirement for standpipe installation An acceptable water supply be provided as soon as combustible material is on site NFPA 241, “Standard for Safeguarding Construction, Alteration and Demolition Operations” has additional information for construction fire safety
Construction Fire Data CFT Engineering Inc. obtained information from the Office of the Fire Commissioner regarding reported construction fires from 2005 to 2009 in BC Reports are now also available for 2010 and 2011
Construction Fire Data Reported Fires on Construction/Demolition Sites between 2005 and 2009: 275 were reported Resulted in 10 injuries and one fatality Resulted in equipment and property loss valued at over $53 million Additional fires during 2010 and 2011: 94 additional fires reported (369 total) One additional injury and one additional fatality Equipment and property loss valued at over $65 million ($118 million total)
Total Reported Cost of Construction Fires $100,000,000 $50,000,000 $0 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 Number of Reported Constuction Fires in British Columbia 100 50 0 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 Incendiary and Suspicious Fires in Construction Incendiary/Suspicious 146, 40% Other 223, 60%
23:00 23:00 22:00 22:00 21:00 21:00 Non Incendiary Fires Occuring vs. Time of Incendiary Fires Occuring vs. Time of Day 20:00 20:00 19:00 19:00 18:00 18:00 17:00 17:00 16:00 16:00 15:00 15:00 14:00 14:00 13:00 13:00 12:00 12:00 11:00 11:00 Day 10:00 10:00 9:00 9:00 8:00 8:00 7:00 7:00 6:00 6:00 5:00 5:00 4:00 4:00 3:00 3:00 2:00 2:00 1:00 1:00 0:00 0:00 25 20 15 10 5 0 25 20 15 10 5 0 Incendiary Fires Fires Number of Non Number of Incendiary
Site Investigations CFT Engineering Inc. reviewed construction sites to assess fire protection practices in BC Legislative requirements were largely adhered to Hazards specific to construction activities that were noted included: Accumulation of combustibles Delayed communication with the Fire Department regarding available systems Delays in charging installed fire protection systems Delayed installation of fire pumps for highrises Not commissioned prior to occupancy
Fire Department Response to Construction Fires The Fire Department’s response to a construction site which is not anticipated to have persons in the buildings will typically be less aggressive If the site is expected to be vacant and adjacent properties are at risk, the Fire Department may prioritize the protection of adjacent properties Pre-incident response planning can improve the effectiveness of Fire Department operations
Conclusions from the Report A key element of fire safety in construction is the development of a working active construction fire safety plan Current requirements lack sufficient guidance on how to incorporate procedures to mitigate site specific risks Additional guidance and education for risk mitigation is needed Mitigating strategies should become industry practice
Recommendations Linking of BC Building Code and Fire Code: In order to increase the awareness of the requirements for construction fire safety of professionals and contractors involved in the construction industry, it is recommended that there be a reference to the BC Fire Code requirements relating to construction fire safety within Division B, Part 3 and Division B, Part 9, Article 9.10.1.2, of the BC Building Code Division B, Part 1, Subsection 1.1.4 of the BC Building Code should be revised to include a reference to the construction fire safety plan
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