How to use these guides
Run the checklists below month to month, and open the linked guides when you need the reasoning behind a rule. Every checklist sticks to work the fire code lets owner staff do. Anything that needs a qualified contractor is called out as such, not slipped in as a task for the caretaker.
The standards behind them are the editions Alberta references, not the newest ones. That means NFPA 25-2017 for sprinklers, standpipes and fire pumps, NFPA 10-2013 for extinguishers, and CAN/ULC-S536:2019 for fire alarms, all under the National Fire Code 2023 Alberta Edition (NFC(AE) 2023). The full frequency table sits on the fire system inspections page. The code framework is in the fire code compliance guide.
A monthly walkthrough for owner staff
Somebody in the building can do all of these without a certificate, or with training the code recognizes.
- Fire alarm: run the daily and monthly checks your alarm company trained you on. CAN/ULC-S536 lets the owner or a representative trained by the manufacturer or service provider do them (Division C, 2.2.4.3). Before any test, tell monitoring, occupants and anyone else your notification procedure names.
- Extinguishers: inspect each one monthly, and confirm it's in place, visible, unobstructed and undamaged. Enter the inspection on the tag by hand, because the code requires handwritten monthly and annual entries.
- Emergency lights and exit signs: test self-contained lighting units and battery-backed exit signs monthly (Division B, 6.5.1.6 and 6.5.1.8). The yearly full-duration test is a longer job, so book it.
- Generators: weekly and monthly checks, but only by someone trained by the generator's manufacturer or service provider (Division C, 2.2.4.7).
- Access: sprinkler control valves, fire department connections, hydrants, panels and riser rooms stay clear and reachable. Nothing gets stacked against a riser.
- Damage: walk the floors, note leaks, damaged devices and anything that looks tampered with, and call your contractor. Don't repair it yourself.
- Log: date and initial everything, and file it with the rest of the records.
What's missing is the sprinkler valve and gauge checks. NFPA 25 has weekly and quarterly tasks, and the qualification rules (Division C, 2.2.4.4 and 2.2.4.6) contain no owner carve-out. Either have a qualified contractor do them, or ask your AHJ in writing whether it will accept your staff's records.
Before the fire inspector arrives
This one is for the AHJ's visit, not your contractor's. A Fire Safety Codes Officer will want to see paper and access.
- ITM records on site, including the initial verification and acceptance reports (Division C, 2.2.1.2).
- The fire safety plan in the building, reviewed within the last 12 months, with emergency procedures posted on each floor area (Division B, 2.8.2.1 and 2.8.2.14).
- Supervisory staff who've been trained in the plan, and keys to the alarm panel and fire protection equipment within reach of whoever is on duty (2.8.1.2 and 2.8.1.3).
- Extinguisher tags complete, with handwritten entries current.
- A fire department key box, if your building needs one (Division C, 2.2.10.1).
- Documentation for any accepted alternative to the code text, kept on the premises (Division C, 2.3.1.2).
- A sign at each manual station asking people to call the fire department, if your alarm doesn't transmit to it (2.8.2.14).
- A short list of open deficiencies, with what's been done about each.
In Edmonton, ask your contractor for owner view access in the Life Safety Inspection Vault (LIV). You'll see the same deficiency list EFRS sees. Our LIV explainer covers the background.
Records checklist
| Record | How long and where |
|---|---|
| Inspection, testing and maintenance reports for each system | On site, and none destroyed within five years of being prepared (Division C, 2.2.1.2) |
| Initial verification, integrated systems testing and acceptance test reports | On site, for the life of the system |
| Fire drill and evacuation records | At the premises |
| Extinguisher tags | On the extinguisher, with monthly and annual entries handwritten |
| Documentation for accepted code alternatives | On the premises (Division C, 2.3.1.2) |
| Emergency generator records | Written records per CSA C282 (Division B, 6.5.1.4) |
| Backflow test reports (Edmonton) | Test records on site; report to EPCOR within 5 business days through SwiftComply |
| Fire safety plan | In the building, available to the fire department and the AHJ |
Two habits help. Ask for the verification and acceptance reports at handover on a new build, because nobody can recreate them later. And keep the weekly and monthly logs even though nobody asks for them. After a claim, they're the only proof anyone was looking. Our fire protection closeout guide lists the records to collect.
Impairment quick reference
An impairment is any time a system, or part of one, is out of service. Testing counts. Decide who does what before the water goes off. Our impairment checklist works through a planned one step by step, and fire watch requirements in Alberta covers when a watch applies.
| Situation | What applies |
|---|---|
| Any shutdown, planned or not | A notification procedure, and alternative measures while it lasts (Division B, 6.1.1.3 and 6.1.1.4). Fire alarm shutdowns: work the measures out with the fire department |
| Fire alarm out for more than 2 hours | Notify the fire department. Provide continuous surveillance when directed. Warn occupants under a procedure the fire department accepts (Division C, 2.2.7.2) |
| Sprinkler system out of service | NFPA 25, Chapter 15: an impairment coordinator, tags at the control valve and fire department connection, and notice to the fire department, insurer and alarm company |
| Sprinklers out for more than 10 hours in 24 | One or more of: evacuate the area, an approved fire watch, temporary water, or an approved program removing ignition sources and limiting fuel |
| Hydrant altered or shut down | The fire department notified and approves it, and the hydrant is marked as it accepts (Division C, 2.2.7.2) |
| Hot work outside a noncombustible area | Continuous fire watch during the work and at least 60 minutes after, then a final inspection 4 hours after completion (Division B, 5.2.3) |
| Defect found and the owner won't fix it | The contractor notifies the fire department and the owner in writing (Division C, 2.2.7.2) |
| Edmonton deficiency affecting operation or coverage | Report within 24 hours. It may require emergency repairs or fire watch |
We couldn't find a published Edmonton rule on fire watch patrol intervals or who may act as fire watch. Ask EFRS Fire Prevention before a planned shutdown. If you're mid-emergency, call 780.760.0806.
Guides and pages by system
- Fire sprinkler systems, for system types and what each is chosen for
- Fire alarm systems, covering verification, annual testing and monitoring
- Fire pumps and hydrants, for water supply and flow testing
- Special hazard suppression, where water is the wrong answer
- Backflow prevention, for assemblies and annual testing in Edmonton
- Emergency lighting and exit signs, for the monthly and yearly tests
- Portable fire extinguishers, for monthly checks, annual service and tags
Guides and pages by situation
- Booking inspections and understanding reports: fire system inspections.
- Holding a notice or order: fire code consulting and closing out a fire marshal deficiency.
- Something's flowing, tripping or ringing: 24/7 emergency repair.
- Planning a new build or retrofit: fire protection design and installation.
- Running a construction or renovation site: construction site fire safety plans and sprinkler submittals and permits.
- Getting ready for handover: fire protection closeout.
- A quick answer to a specific question: the fire protection FAQ.
Blog articles worth keeping open
Related reading
- Fire watch requirements in Alberta and when you need one. Alberta's fire code names fire watch in a few specific places, and none of them is a blanket rule.
- Sprinkler system out of service, an owner's impairment checklist. A working checklist for planned and emergency sprinkler impairments in Alberta, built on NFPA 25 Chapter 15 and NFC(AE) 2023 notification rules.
- How to winterize sprinkler and alarm systems in Edmonton. An October checklist for Edmonton building owners covering unheated spaces, dry valve rooms, heat trace, backflow assemblies, pump rooms, hydrants and alarm batteries, with the checks you can do yourself.
- Emergency lighting testing in Alberta, monthly and yearly. What Alberta's fire code says about testing emergency lights and exit signs, why the 30 versus 90 minute confusion exists, and a monthly and yearly routine you can run and record.
- The 5-year internal sprinkler pipe inspection in Alberta. What NFPA 25's five-year internal pipe assessment is, how it's done, what it finds, how sampling works and how to plan it around an occupied building in Edmonton.
- Fire safety plans in Edmonton, who needs one and what goes in it. Under Alberta's fire code, every building that must have a fire alarm needs a fire safety plan.
Sources
- National Fire Code 2023 Alberta Edition, National Research Council Canada
- Fire codes and standards, Government of Alberta
- Fire Inspection Report Submission, City of Edmonton
- Fire Marshal Bulletin on fire alarm reporting, Edmonton Fire Rescue Services
- Impairment Procedures for Sprinkler Systems That Are Out of Order, NFPA
- Cross Connection Control, EPCOR