Prior to 2007 Hotels were regulated under The Hotel Fire Safety Act.
As of January 1, 2007 hotels became subject to full
compliance with the Fire
Code.
Hotel owners/operators should review the requirements in Parts 1 to 8 of the Fire
Code to determine specific provisions that may apply to their building.
Fire Code Retrofit Part 9.9 of the Fire Code was introduced with compliance dates that range from January 1, 2007 to January 1, 2012
See Compliance Schedule for Section 9.9 Hotels for a detailed summary of the compliance dates.
The 1st new requirement for compliance was to have a
complete Building Audit completed by January 1, 2008.
Fire Departments now expect compliance with this requirement.
Part 9 Retrofit Requirements
Part 9 contains minimum mandatory life safety, or Retrofit, provisions for various classes
of existing buildings including hotel establishments. The requirements within this Part
are intended to ensure a minimum level of life safety to the occupants through the
provision of:
Note that Retrofit does not apply to buildings or parts of
buildings that satisfy the requirements of the Building Code.
Sections 9.1 and 9.9. are relevant to all existing hotels.
Section 9.1 General
Section 9.1 provides important information regarding:
hotel establishments owners and operators should be aware that
alternative materials, equipment or systems may be approved if in the opinion of the Chief
Fire Official they will provide protection for life safety similar to the protection
provided by compliance with the requirement.
Fire Code Audit Vs. Life Safety Study
The Fire Code Audit as required by the Fire Code will address all the
fire safety features in a building, non-compliant issues, their best corrective solutions
and the time frame these deficiencies must be corrected.
Generally the fire safety issues can be
satisfied under the Fire Code and within the prescribed time frame.
If compliance cannot be achieved through
conventional Building and Fire Code practices within the specified time period
then a Life Safety Study under Subsection 9.1.4.
is an option to address these non-compliant issues.
It will describe alternative methods and time frames to meet an acceptable level of life
safety for these non-compliant issues..
It must be approved by the Chief Fire Official.
This Life Safety Study must be prepared by an Architect or Engineer.
Section 9.9 Hotels
Section 9.9 is the Retrofit section addressing minimum mandatory upgrading
requirements for existing hotel establishments. The requirements are organized under
the following subsections:
Subsection
9.9.1. Application
This is a very important subsection to familiarize yourself with. Although Section 9.9
applies to all hotel establishments, it provides for some exemptions. For example, except
for the need to provide smoke alarms in guest suites, this Section does not apply to a
hotel establishment if all buildings on the property containing guest suites are single
storey and not more than 300 m2 in building area.
Subsection 9.9.2. Containment
This subsection addresses the need to protect against fire spreading from one area to
another. Requirements include fire separation for floor assemblies, guest suites,
corridors serving guest suites, service rooms, and major occupancies from each other. To
protect occupants exiting the building, corridors and exit stairs are also required to be
constructed as fire separations. This subsection also describes requirements for
interconnected floor spaces and smoke control.
Subsection 9.9.3. Means of Egress
This subsection addresses the requirements for getting occupants out of a building during
emergency situations and includes egress doors, corridors and exits. It prescribes maximum
travel distances, minimum number of egress doors, exit signage and emergency lighting. For
example, exterior exit stairways and fire escapes are not allowed to serve floor areas
above the sixth storey.
Subsection 9.9.4. Fire Alarm and Detection
This subsection addresses early detection of a fire to inform occupants of the need to
evacuate. Smaller buildings may require less complex systems than larger buildings.
Subsection 9.9.5. Suppression
This subsection addresses the provision of standpipe systems and sprinkler systems, as
well as features to enable fire fighting such as access routes and firefighter elevators.
An example is the requirement for access routes to be provided in compliance with the 1994
Ontario Building Code where the building exceeds 3 storeys in height or 600 m2 in building area.
So how does a Hotel operator/owner ensure they are in compliance?
First of all a Building Audit must be
prepared by January 1, 2008.
This building audit will spell out the requirements and their various compliance dates.
Completing a Building Audit will help an owner identify those areas of the building that
comply while also identifying those areas that may be deficient and require
upgrading.
Once the Building Audit is completed; it must be retained and be made available to an
Assistant to the Fire Marshal upon request.
For assistance with these
Building Audit requirements contact
The Fire Guy Paul
Schuster
905 - 884-4423
Or 
. the "Fire Guy" Paul Schuster or phone
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