There are several regulations that govern care facilities operating from traditional single family dwellings in British Columbia. The Child Care Licensing Regulation and the Residential Care Licensing Regulation are both administered by the Community Care Licensing Branch of the British Columbia government. Facilities that provide residential care to three or more persons (e.g. group homes, long term care homes, residential treatment facilities) must have a valid community care facility license, whether they receive funding from a public agency or the client pays for the care directly. In order to meet the licensing requirements the facility must pass a fire safety inspection.
Some of the things the fire safety inspector will be looking for in a community care facility are:
“¢ Interconnected smoke alarms in each bedroom and hallway leading to a bedroom
“¢ Sprinklers that conform to the British Columbia Building Code
“¢ Emergency lighting that will automatically illuminate exits, hallways and stairs in the event of a power failure
“¢ A fire safety plan suitable to the occupancy
Some of the things the fire safety inspector will be looking for in a day care are:
“¢ At least 3.7 m2 of usable floor space per child excluding hallways, storage areas, bathrooms and fixed or large appliances
“¢ Emergency exits and a fire drill system approved by a competent fire official
“¢ An emergency plan
“¢ Monthly fire drills which includes the use of any equipment noted in the fire drill system and emergency plan
“¢ The licensee must display a copy of the fire drill system and fire safety plan in a prominent place in the community care facility.
Fire safety inspection service is not necessarily available from public agencies in all areas of the Province of British Columbia. In many rural areas and in some urban areas community care facilities do not fall within the scope of inspection service offered by local government. In these cases a private contractor such as FireWise Consulting is required to perform the inspection. This service is at the expense of the facility operator.
Click here to contact FireWise Consulting for information about our inspection services.
