On June 1st, 2016 the Office of the Fire Marshal and Emergency Management sent out an e-bulletin regarding the January 1, 2017 date of compliance for the qualifications of persons responsible for implementing and approving Fire Safety Plans in vulnerable occupancies. This is the fifth of the six stage compliance schedule for the requirements introduced through O.Reg. 150/13
As of January 1, 2017, Articles 1.2.3.2. and 1.2.4.2. of Section 1.2 (Qualifications) of Division C of the Fire Code, come into force. Article 1.2.3.2. requires persons responsible for implementing fire safety plans in vulnerable occupancies to have successfully completed a qualification course acceptable to the Fire Marshal. Article 1.2.4.2. requires Chief Fire Officials who are responsible for approving such fire safety plans to have also completed a qualification course acceptable to the Fire Marshal.
Ontario Regulation 150/13 amended the Fire Code (Ontario Regulation 213/07) to require that two groups of people successfully complete, before January 1, 2017, a course approved by the Fire Marshal in regard to their fire safety responsibilities.
- owners and operators of care occupancies, care and treatment occupancies and retirement homes regulated under the Retirement Homes Act, 2010, or their delegates. They are the persons having primary responsibility for implementing the emergency planning provisions of Section 2.8 (Division B) of the Fire Code in such facilities, including a fire safety plan. These persons may also be known by other titles, such as manager, general manager, executive manager, executive director, chief executive officer, and chief operating officer.
- chief fire officials responsible for approving fire safety plans for buildings containing care occupancies, care and treatment occupancies, or retirement homes.
It is not required that all supervisory staff (defined in the Ontario Fire Code) who work in vulnerable occupancies successfully complete a course approved by the Office of the Fire Marshal and Emergency Management. However, all staff must be trained and able to competently carry out their assigned responsibilities as specified in the buildings fire safety plan.