Easy to hand over
Record who keeps the plan and where the supporting information lives. The next council can pick up the work without starting again.
BC strata fire safety plan builder
Collect your building's fire safety details in one Word file and PDF: systems, contacts, records and review dates. It doesn't write your emergency procedures. Give it to a fire safety planner or your fire department as the starting point for a reviewed plan. About 30 minutes. Free, no account, and saved only if you choose.
Check what your building needs
Review before use. You are responsible for checking this draft against your building's systems, drawings and procedures before relying on it. Consult a qualified fire-safety professional if you need help with that review. Confirm current code or by-law requirements and any required submission or acceptance with your local fire authority.
Final output: Word (.docx) & PDF
Does your building need a fire safety plan?
Whether a formal plan is required depends on the building, not simply its strata status. Our guide explains which BC buildings need a fire safety plan; confirm yours with your local fire authority. For buildings that need one, a plan is also a living record of who is responsible and which procedures apply. Richmond's residential guidance explains this distinction.
Shows what's missing
Missing drawings, an unconfirmed system and a procedure without a source are different problems. Keep each on the review list.
Points you to local rules
Municipalities use different forms and submission processes. The builder points you to local guidance; the authority decides what your building must provide.
What to have on hand
Useful starting material: your current plan, building drawings, inspection records, designated contacts and any correspondence from the fire department.
Is this the right tool?
For an existing residential strata gathering information and reviewing its plan. High buildings, care or detention uses, hazardous activities, construction and demolition need specialist processes beyond this draft.
Vancouver sites with shared systems, multiple buildings or air-space parcels need VFRS direction on a coordinated master plan. This export is not the VFRS template or a submission package.
Keep resident assistance rosters, health details and access codes out of the builder. Confirm any separate assistance-record requirements with your fire authority; record only the process and custodian here.
During an emergency, call 9-1-1. Do not use this tool for emergency direction.
Check the rules with your fire authority
These official sources are starting points for confirming current requirements. This is preparation guidance, not legal advice or a professional fire-safety assessment. The builder has additional municipality links; an address outside those areas still needs its own authority check.
- BC Fire Code and provincial bulletins
Start with current provincial requirements and confirm how they apply to your building.
- Vancouver: fire safety for building owners
Building-owner guidance on plans, supervisory staff and drills. Vancouver has its own Fire By-law.
- VFRS fire safety plan bulletin 2026-001-FI
Vancouver template and master-plan requirements for shared developments. This builder does not replace that package.
- Surrey: fire safety plan submissions
Local plan package, building-information sheet and drawing requirements.
- Coquitlam: fire safety plans
Local forms, pre-incident plans and submission requirements.
- Richmond: residential fire safety plans
Building-specific applicability and keeping a current on-site copy.
- OIPC: privacy guidance for BC strata corporations
Personal-information responsibilities. Keep sensitive assistance records outside this builder.
Fire safety plan questions
Does every BC strata need a fire safety plan?
Not simply because it is a strata. Requirements depend on the building, occupancy, fire-alarm requirements, activities and local rules. Vancouver's building-owner guidance says buildings with a fire alarm system need a plan. Every council should confirm its building's obligations with the local fire authority.
Is this a fire safety plan template or an approved plan?
It is an editable preparation record and information checklist. It organizes your building facts and supplied procedures but does not verify them, assess compliance, supply drawings or obtain approval. It is not a submission package. Vancouver requires its own VFRS template; other authorities have their own package and review requirements.
Who should review the draft before we use it?
A qualified fire-safety professional, who checks it against your building's systems, drawings and procedures, and then your local fire authority for current code, by-law and submission requirements. The full review note is at the top of this page.
Can the builder write our evacuation or fire-watch procedures?
No. Those instructions depend on the building and its systems. Add only building-specific procedures that have been reviewed, with a source reference. Missing procedures remain visible in the draft for your qualified fire-safety professional and local authority to resolve.
Can I edit the draft and finish it later?
Yes. Download an editable Word document, print or save a PDF, or save a draft file to load back into the builder. Saving in this browser is optional and off by default. A Word or PDF file cannot be imported back into the form; use the draft file for that.
Where are our building details stored?
The builder processes answers in your browser and does not submit them to Strata Match. Device saving is optional; downloads must be stored securely. Do not enter resident names, health details, unit-linked assistance needs or access codes here. Ask your fire authority whether a separate, controlled assistance record is required and where it must be accessible during an emergency.
How often should council review the plan?
Confirm the applicable review and submission duties with your fire authority. Keep information current when systems, use, responsible people or procedures change. This tool calculates a 12-month draft-review reminder from your prepared or last-reviewed date. It does not establish a legal review interval, filing deadline, fire-drill frequency or equipment-testing schedule.