Emergency plans

The condominium’s board and property manager must work together to design a safety plan to deal with emergencies such as fire and flooding. The plan should include:

• emergency contact numbers (9-1-1, property manager, etc.)

• the locations of pull stations for fire alarms

• a description of alarm sounds (if the building has a multiple-level alarm system)

• instructions to ensure safe actions during an emergency (such as testing doorknobs before opening doors)

• detailed, safe evacuation routes via stairwells

• a list of occupants with special needs ready for firefighters when they arrive at the building

Emergency plans must also be made available to the fire department, EMS, and police upon their arrival, as well as kept at the local fire prevention office. All employees of the condominium should be familiar with the plan and be able to direct residents as necessary.

All emergency plans and other related documents (such as drawings or plans of the corporation’s physical property) are condominium records and must be adequately made and maintained by condo corporations.

Accordingly, if a condo corporation has an emergency plan, unit owners, purchasers and mortgagees can request copies of these documents by making a request for records to their condo corporation.

To learn more about emergency plans, you can:

• Review the CAO’s Best Practices Guide: Emergency Planning and Preparedness
• Complete the CAO’s Optional Emergency Planning and Preparedness Advanced Director Training Module

To learn more about requesting records from your condominium corporation, including emergency plans, visit the CAO’s Guided Steps to Records Issues.

Smoke alarms

Each unit should be equipped with sufficient smoke, heat, and carbon monoxide alarms to ensure proper warning if there is a fire. Disabling smoke alarms is a violation of condominium rules and it could put yours and others’ lives in jeopardy. Each unit should be annually inspected by a fire inspection company to ensure all devices are working.

Fire alarm tests

Tests of the building-wide fire alarm should be done on a regular basis, as required by the fire code, to ensure the system is in working order should a fire or other emergency happen. Residents will be given notice before any testing occurs. In addition, quarterly fire drills may be required in order to practice the safe evacuation of the building, and residents will be given notice when these are going to happen. Although inconvenient, it is an exercise that can save lives if a real emergency happens.

Fire code

All condominiums in Ontario must adhere to the Ontario Fire Code. It is designed to make sure that all occupied buildings in Ontario have the appropriate fire protection equipment, that it is properly maintained, and that fire emergency plans are kept up to date and are properly circulated to residents.

Visit the Ontario Fire Marshal for further information on fire and safety procedures in condominiums.