Fire Protection Requirements:
City of Edmonton

History

In the aftermath of the High Intensity Residential Fires (HIRF) in Alberta in the early 2000’s the Government of Alberta established a committee charged with studying large loss building fires in Alberta.  The final HIRF report recommended a number of changes to the 2006 Alberta Building Code and Alberta Fire Code, and changes to these documents were published in 2009.  

Some notable changes were:

Alberta Fire Code:

1. Protection of Adjacent Buildings (APP)
2. Updated requirements for Fire Safety Plans
3. Updated requirements for Access for Firefighting 

Alberta Building Code:

1. Fire department response times (9.10.15.3) were added to the code
2. Attached garages were required to have an interior drywall finish such as drywall and walls and ceiling were required to have insulation and vapour barrier
3. Changes were made to how distance to the property line was enforced when the distance was less than 1.2m.

As a result of these changes, the following requirements are being enforced by the City of Edmonton Fire Department.

1. Adjacent Property Protection - Protecting Adjacent Properties During Construction Single Attached and Detached Homes
2. Submission of a fire safety plan/evacuation plan at building permit application for approval by the City of Edmonton. City of Edmonton - Fire Safety Plan requirements

Zero Lot Line Construction

Zero Lot Line Construction: Since the time of the HIRF report publication and the changes to the fire and building codes a new form of housing has been developed in the City of Edmonton - Reduced (Zero) Lot Line Housing.  This type of housing reduces the lot line on one side to zero, which requires that the “zero” wall be built to specific requirements in the building code.  These requirements would not allow features such as overhangs, windows or doors to be constructed in any of the side walls.  The City of Edmonton and CHBA-ER again worked together to introduce a city wide policy about the construction of these types of homes Policy B14-01 Reduced or Zero Lot Line and Policy B14-01G Reduces or Zero Lot Line for Detached Garages

Fire Department Response Times: 10 Minute Fire Response Map

In an effort to ensure compliance with the requirements for fire department response times while still allowing windows in the side yards, CHBA-ER conducted tests to determine the extent of fire spread in the spring of 2011. The Intertek report was shared with the City of Edmonton, and as a result a site specific variance process (Request for Variance Form) was collaboratively created between the City of Edmonton and CHBA-ER. This site-specific variance is required for the use of side yard windows on homes that are built outside of the City of Edmonton’s 10 Minute Response Map. The variance process requires that a builder purchases a copy of the Intertek report from CHBA-ER for each permit application, and uses the report for the basis of the variance request. 

To determine if the home that you are building is inside or outside the 10 Minute Response Map, refer to City of Edmonton Maps and select ERD Public Data on the legend.

For more information on how HIRF and fire response times impact your project(s), please see CHBA-ER’s Fire Protection Requirements – A Guide to Building in Edmonton. The information in the guide serves as an outline to better understand the building and fire codes as they pertain to the City of Edmonton. A thorough reading of the Alberta Edition of the National Fire Code and National Building Code is recommended before making an application for a building permit.

Fire Test Study Results

The Interek Final Text Report is being provided for Information Purposes only. Use of this report for any purpose, requires the express consent of CHBA-ER.

The City of Edmonton will require Proof of Payment (copy of receipt) from the CHBA-ER to be attached to all Requests for Variance for use of this Report in support of each Request for Variance. For further information regarding Requests for Variance contact Chad Rich, Director Safety Code Permits and Inspections, City of Edmonton at 780-944-1227.

For those companies wishing to purchase multiple Side Wall Fire Protection Testing Licenses, subsequent to a bulk online purchase, the CHBA-ER will issue receipts for each license as subsets of the original receipt number (e.g., for a purchase of 10 bulk licenses under receipt #21, CHBA-ER will forward 10 PDF license receipts numbered 21.1 to 21.10 to the applicant company, each of which must be submitted with their respective Variance Application to the City of Edmonton).

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The Intertek Final Text Report is being provided for Information Purposes only. Use of this report for any purpose, requires the express consent of CHBA-ER.

The City of Edmonton will require Proof Of Payment (copy of receipt) from the CHBA-ER to be attached to all Requests For Variance for use of this Report in support of each Request For Variance. For further information regarding Requests For Variance contact Chad Rich, Director Safety Code Permits and Inspections, City of Edmonton at 780-944-1227.

For those companies wishing to purchase multiple Side Wall Fire Protection Testing Licenses, subsequent to a bulk online purchase, the CHBA-ER will issue receipts for each license as subsets of the original receipt number (e.g., for a purchase of 10 bulk licenses under receipt #21, CHBA-ER will forward 10 PDF license receipts numbered 21.1 to 21.10 to the applicant company, each of which must be submitted with their respective Variance Application to the City of Edmonton).

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