High-Intensity Residential Fires

The Alberta government is taking significant action on its commitment to help keep Albertans safer from high-intensity residential fires.

A new hard-hitting fire safety campaign to teach Albertans how to prevent, detect and escape from fires has now been launched. The campaign will direct people to a new, interactive website that acts as a one-stop source for a wide variety of important information about fire safety. From the website, people can print off a quick checklist to make sure they are doing all they can to keep safe, or they can sign up for regular e-mail reminders to do things like change the batteries in their smoke alarms. To learn more, please visit: http://www.3minutedrill.alberta.ca/ 

Improvements to the province’s building and fire codes are aimed at buying time for people to get out of their homes and for firefighters to respond. The new provincial codes are being implemented two years ahead of the expected national code changes and they will help minimize the severity, frequency and damage caused by fire and increase security and fire safety on construction sites.

• Summary of the building and fire code updates
• Complete building code amendment regulation
• Replacement pages for the Alberta Building Code 2006
• Complete fire code amendment regulation
• Replacement pages for the Alberta Fire Code 2006
• Updated safety codes - News release March 12, 2009
• 10-minute rule Exemption Notice  
  • Ministerial Order 007/10  
• STANDATA related to High Intensity Residential Fires:
  • HIRF - Floor-To-Floor Fire Compartments
  • HIRF - Separation of Glazed Openings
  • HIRF - Attached Garage Insulation Values
  • Water Supplies and Access for Fire Fighting
  • Protection of Adjacent Building
  • Fire Safety Plan - Construction and Demolition Sites

Municipal Affairs has developed a province-wide information campaign to inform both the construction industry and the public about the code changes. Print and radio ads will run March 13 to 20^th.

• Click here to see the print ad
• Click here to listen to the radio ad
• Click here to see an illustrative graphic of the new codes
• Click here to see a quick reference guide for house/duplex construction

Last May, the Alberta government accepted 18 recommendations from the High-Intensity Residential Fires Working Group, created by the province to examine ways to reduce the incidence and impact of major residential fires.

• Working group final report and recommendations
• Government's response - News release May 23, 2008

More information:
Call Safety Services toll-free: 1-866-421-6929