Give the next council more than a binder they can’t make sense of.
Bring your building details, responsible people and reviewed procedures into one editable working draft. See what is missing, check it for your building and get professional help where you need it.
No account · No email gate · Word and print export
Why this belongs on council’s agenda
Every council should know its fire-safety obligations.
Whether a formal plan is required depends on the building, not simply its strata status. Confirm 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.
Council continuity
A handover that survives a change of council.
Record who keeps the plan and where the supporting information lives. The next council can pick up the work without starting again.
A clearer review
Make the unknowns visible.
Missing drawings, an unconfirmed system and a procedure without a source are different problems. Keep each on the review list.
Local requirements
Prepare for the right conversation.
Municipalities use different forms and submission processes. The builder points you to local guidance; the authority decides what your building must provide.
Before you start
Bring what you know. Leave the rest as a gap.
Useful starting material: your current plan, building drawings, inspection records, designated contacts and any correspondence from the fire department.
Is this the right tool?
Designed for an existing residential strata’s information gathering and plan review. 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.
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.
Before you rely on the document
Fire safety plan questions, answered.
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 a free, 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?
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.
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.
Source-led, building-specific
Confirm 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.