Fire Safety Plans in Ontario: What They Are, Who Needs One, and What Must Be in Them

A fire safety plan is one of the most misunderstood compliance documents in Ontario fire protection. Many building owners believe they have one when they don't. Others have a plan on file that was written years ago and has never been updated to reflect changes in the building, its occupants, or the Ontario Fire Code. In 2026, with enforcement activity at an all-time high and Administrative Monetary Penalties now being issued directly by the Ontario Fire Marshal, a missing or non-compliant fire safety plan is an expensive problem.

This guide explains exactly what a fire safety plan is, which Ontario buildings are required to have one, what the plan must contain, how often it must be updated, and what happens when a building is inspected without one.

What Is a Fire Safety Plan?

A fire safety plan is a formal document that describes how a building and its occupants will respond to a fire emergency. It is not a generic template — it must be specific to your building, your occupancy type, your fire protection systems, and your staff or tenant structure.

The Ontario Fire Code requires that fire safety plans be prepared in advance of occupancy and kept current at all times. The plan must be approved by the local fire department in most jurisdictions, and a copy must be kept on the premises at all times in a location accessible to the fire department.

A fire safety plan is not the same as a fire evacuation map. The evacuation map showing exit routes is one small component of a much larger document that covers everything from staff training responsibilities to system shutdown procedures.

Which Buildings Are Required to Have a Fire Safety Plan in Ontario?

Under the Ontario Fire Code, a fire safety plan is mandatory for the following occupancies:

Group A — Assembly occupancies including theatres, arenas, schools, universities, places of worship, restaurants with occupancy loads above thresholds, and any space used for public gatherings. Assembly occupancies face some of the strictest fire safety plan requirements because of the potential for large numbers of people to be present simultaneously.

Group B — Care and detention occupancies including hospitals, long-term care homes, group homes, retirement residences, and detention facilities. These occupancies require the most detailed fire safety plans because many occupants cannot self-evacuate. Plans for Group B buildings must include detailed defend-in-place procedures and staff action protocols specific to each zone.

Group C — Residential occupancies including apartment buildings, condominiums, and other multi-unit residential buildings above certain size thresholds. Generally, any residential building over three storeys or with more than a defined number of suites requires a formal fire safety plan. High-rise residential buildings require particularly detailed plans covering elevator recall, floor warden assignments, and phased evacuation procedures.

Group D — Business and personal services including office buildings above certain sizes. Many commercial office towers and mid-size office buildings require fire safety plans, particularly when they have complex fire protection systems or mixed occupancy configurations.

Group E — Mercantile occupancies including retail stores, shopping centres, and warehouses used for retail purposes above certain size thresholds.

Group F — Industrial occupancies including manufacturing facilities, warehouses, and storage buildings that house hazardous materials or operate complex fire protection systems.

In practical terms, if your building has a fire alarm system, is occupied by more than a small number of people, or falls into any of the occupancy classes above, you almost certainly need a fire safety plan. When in doubt, your local fire department can confirm whether your specific building triggers the requirement.

What Must a Fire Safety Plan Contain?

The Ontario Fire Code sets out specific content requirements for fire safety plans. A compliant plan must include all of the following:

Emergency procedures

A detailed description of the actions to be taken by building staff and occupants when a fire is discovered or when the fire alarm activates. This includes who sounds the alarm, who calls 911, who initiates evacuation, who meets the fire department, and who accounts for occupants.

Evacuation procedures

Specific instructions for evacuating each part of the building, including primary and secondary exit routes, assembly points, and procedures for occupants with mobility limitations or other special needs. For buildings using phased or defend-in-place evacuation strategies, the plan must describe exactly how those strategies work and who is responsible for executing them.

Staff duties and responsibilities

A clear assignment of fire safety responsibilities to specific roles or positions. Every person with a fire safety responsibility must know what they are required to do and must be trained to do it. This section must identify the fire safety supervisor — the person ultimately responsible for fire safety compliance in the building.

Fire safety supervisor information

The name and contact information of the designated fire safety supervisor. This person is the primary point of contact for the fire department and is responsible for ensuring the plan is maintained and that all required training and drills are conducted.

Fire drill schedule and records

A description of how often fire drills will be conducted and a log of drills already completed. The Ontario Fire Code specifies minimum drill frequencies for different occupancy types. For high-rise residential buildings, drills must include floor warden participation. Records of all drills must be kept and made available to the fire department on request.

Floor plans and exit diagrams

Building-specific diagrams showing all exits, exit stairwells, fire alarm pull stations, fire extinguisher locations, fire hose cabinets, sprinkler control valves, fire department connections, and any other fire protection equipment. These diagrams must be accurate and current — not the original construction drawings from 1998.

Fire protection system descriptions

A description of all fire protection systems in the building including fire alarm panels and zones, sprinkler systems, suppression systems, emergency lighting, fire doors, and smoke control systems. The plan must explain how these systems work and what building staff are required to do when each system activates.

Procedures for impairment of fire protection systems

What to do when a fire protection system is taken out of service for maintenance or repair, including notification requirements and compensatory measures. The Ontario Fire Code requires that the local fire department be notified when certain systems are impaired for more than four hours.

Hazardous materials information

If the building contains or is used to store any hazardous materials, the fire safety plan must identify those materials, their locations, and any special firefighting considerations they create.

Special procedures for high-hazard areas

Any area of the building with elevated fire risk (commercial kitchens, generator rooms, electrical rooms, chemical storage areas) must have specific procedures documented in the plan.

Contact information

Current contact information for building management, the fire safety supervisor, and key service providers including the fire alarm monitoring station and fire protection service company.

Fire Safety Plans for High-Rise Residential Buildings

High-rise residential buildings — generally defined as buildings over 18 metres in building height — face additional fire safety plan requirements that reflect the complexity of evacuating large numbers of occupants from multiple floors.

Floor warden program

High-rise residential fire safety plans must include a floor warden program. Floor wardens are residents or staff assigned to specific floors who assist with evacuation, check rooms, and communicate with building management during an emergency. The plan must identify how floor wardens are recruited, trained, and replaced.

Phased evacuation procedures

Most high-rise residential buildings do not evacuate all floors simultaneously. The fire safety plan must document the phased evacuation strategy — typically evacuating the fire floor, the floor above, and the floor below first, with other floors sheltering in place unless directed otherwise.

Elevator recall procedures

The plan must describe elevator recall procedures and identify which staff are responsible for confirming elevators have recalled to the ground floor when the alarm activates.

Communication systems

High-rise buildings with two-way communication systems (voice evacuation systems) must document how those systems are used during an emergency, including who operates the system and what announcements are to be made.

Fire Safety Plans for Retirement Homes and Long-Term Care Facilities

Group B occupancies housing vulnerable populations require the most detailed and frequently updated fire safety plans. The defend-in-place strategy — moving residents away from the fire rather than evacuating the entire building — requires precise documentation and extensive staff training.

Zone-by-zone procedures

The plan must document procedures for each zone or wing of the facility, including how many staff are required to execute a horizontal evacuation within that zone and how residents with mobility devices, oxygen equipment, or cognitive impairments are to be moved.

Staff ratios

The plan must confirm that sufficient staff are present at all times to execute the defend-in-place procedures documented in the plan. A plan that requires six staff to evacuate a wing but only schedules three staff on night shift is not compliant.

Integration with Ministry requirements

Retirement homes licensed under the Retirement Homes Act and long-term care homes regulated under the Fixing Long-Term Care Act have fire safety plan requirements from both the Ontario Fire Code and their respective regulatory bodies. Plans must satisfy both.

How Often Must a Fire Safety Plan Be Updated?

The Ontario Fire Code requires that fire safety plans be reviewed and updated whenever:

• There is a change in the use or occupancy of any part of the building
• There is a significant change in the building's fire protection systems
• There is a change in the fire safety supervisor or key staff with fire safety responsibilities
• There is a change in any procedure documented in the plan
• The local fire department requires an update

In practice, most building owners should review their fire safety plan annually at minimum and update it whenever anything material changes in the building. A plan written for 2018 that has not been updated is almost certainly non-compliant in 2026.

What Happens During a Fire Department Inspection Without a Compliant Plan?

When the fire department inspects your building — which they are entitled to do at any reasonable time without advance notice — they will ask to see your fire safety plan. If you cannot produce one, or if the plan is clearly out of date or non-compliant, the inspector will issue an order requiring you to obtain or update the plan within a specified timeframe.

Depending on the severity of the deficiency and your history of compliance, the consequences can include:

Compliance orders

Written orders requiring specific corrective actions within a set timeframe. Failure to comply with a fire department order is an offence under the Ontario Fire Protection and Prevention Act.

Administrative Monetary Penalties

Under the 2026 Ontario Fire Code amendments, the Ontario Fire Marshal can issue AMPs of up to $50,000 per offence for individuals and $100,000 per offence for corporations. A missing or non-compliant fire safety plan is a documentable offence.

Prosecution

In serious cases, particularly where non-compliance creates an imminent risk to life safety, the fire department can recommend prosecution under the Fire Protection and Prevention Act, which carries fines of up to $50,000 per day for continuing offences.

Insurance consequences

Many commercial property insurance policies require a current fire safety plan as a condition of coverage. A non-compliant plan can complicate or void a claim following a fire loss.

Who Prepares a Fire Safety Plan?

Fire safety plans must be prepared by someone with knowledge of the Ontario Fire Code requirements and the specific building. While there is no statutory requirement that a fire safety plan be prepared by a licensed professional, the plan must be accurate, complete, and acceptable to the local fire department.

In practice, fire safety plans are typically prepared by:

• Fire protection companies with experience in Ontario Fire Code compliance
• Fire protection engineers for complex or high-risk occupancies
• Building management companies with dedicated fire safety expertise

At First National Fire Protection, we prepare building-specific fire safety plans for every Ontario occupancy type. Our plans are compliant with current Ontario Fire Code requirements, formatted for fire department approval, and include all required components — floor plans, staff duty assignments, evacuation procedures, drill schedules, and system descriptions.

We also provide staff training to ensure the people assigned responsibilities in the plan actually know what to do when the alarm activates.

Get Your Fire Safety Plan Prepared or Updated

If your building doesn't have a current, compliant fire safety plan — or if you're not sure whether your existing plan meets 2026 requirements — contact First National Fire Protection for a free assessment. We serve commercial, industrial, and multi-residential properties across Toronto, the GTA, and all of Ontario.