Fire Safety Plans District of North Vancouver

Who needs a fire safety plan in the District of North Vancouver

The District of North Vancouver wraps around the City on three sides: Lynn Valley, Lynnmour, Seymour and Deep Cove to the east, Edgemont, Delbrook, and Upper Lonsdale to the north and west, and the Marine Drive and Dollarton industrial and commercial strips along the water. District of North Vancouver Fire & Rescue Services (DNVFRS) states the rule plainly: a fire safety plan and a pre-incident fire plan are required for most multi-family, commercial, and industrial buildings in the District, including those under construction. The Fire Code list applies: buildings used for care, treatment, or detention, buildings with a fire alarm system, buildings where flammable or combustible liquids are stored or handled, buildings with hazardous processes, and construction and demolition sites.

The District adds a rule few other municipalities have: the plan must be prepared by an approved fire safety planner and reviewed and passed by a DNVFRS public safety officer. GetFirePlan is an approved planner and has prepared the District’s own fire hall and municipal plans.

How DNVFRS reviews a plan

Submissions go by email, as PDFs, to firesafetyplans@dnv.org, with payment mailed to Fire Administration at the Maplewood Fire and Rescue Centre, 2410 Dollarton Highway, at the same time. The District updated its guidelines in 2025 and 2026, and the current process is:

• Three documents: the fire safety plan, a separate pre-incident plan (site and floor drawings formatted for firefighters, the DNVFRS Vital Information Form, and photographs of the A, B, C, and D sides of the building), and the Appointed Fire Safety Director Form.
• The District’s drawing requirements and symbol set for both the fire safety plan and the pre-incident plan.
• A review fee of $184 plus GST per plan, charged separately for the fire safety plan, the pre-incident plan, and a construction plan. The fee covers the initial review and one set of revisions; a resubmission that still is not accepted is charged again. Large industrial projects are billed hourly under Schedule D of the Fees and Charges Bylaw.
• Three possible outcomes: accepted with an acceptance letter once fees are paid, returned for minor deficiencies such as a wrong civic address, or returned for major omissions such as a missing component.
• After acceptance, the letter goes in the plan binder, the District keeps a digital copy, and additional copies must be available to the Fire Safety Director and Deputy.

New buildings start with a construction fire safety plan before work begins and must have the full fire safety plan by the time the building is ready for occupancy. Fire drills are required at least once a year under BC Fire Code 2.8.3.2.

The buildings we plan for in the District of North Vancouver

Since 2003 we have prepared more than 1,000 fire safety plans across BC, including the District’s own fire halls, municipal hall, and Maplewood Farm under a District service contract. Our work across the District runs to four types:

• Lynn Valley, Lynnmour, and Seymour residential along Lynn Valley Road, Mountain Highway, Mount Seymour Parkway, Roche Point Drive, and the Dollarton corridor: the new mid-rise and tower stratas at Lynn Valley Centre and Seylynn, and the wood-frame townhouse and apartment complexes of the 1970s to 90s with dozens of buildings on one site.
• Edgemont, Delbrook, and Upper Lonsdale: village retail, care homes, schools, churches, and the low-rise stratas along Delbrook Avenue, Montroyal Boulevard, and Kings Road.
• Marine Drive, Dollarton, and the waterfront industrial strip: car dealerships, hotels, restaurants, warehouses, boat yards, and the terminals, where hazardous materials, fire department access, and the pre-incident plan matter most.
• Institutional and municipal sites: fire halls, community centres, municipal buildings, and Maplewood Farm, where the plan covers large sites, multiple buildings, and public assembly.

Our commercial fire safety plan page covers restaurants, retail, and offices in more depth. Buildings in Lower and Central Lonsdale are in the City of North Vancouver, whose fire department has its own guideline.

Keeping a District plan current

Because DNVFRS keeps a digital copy, the plan on file has to match the building. Update it whenever the Fire Safety Director, property manager, monitoring or service contractors, or building systems change, resubmit the pre-incident plan when the drawings change, run the annual drill, and keep the acceptance letter in the binder. Under the 2026 BC Fire Safety Act an out-of-date plan is an owner-liability issue, not a paperwork gap. Name and contact updates on plans we have written are free.

How it works with GetFirePlan

1. Firm quote in one business day, one flat fee that includes the District’s review fees. See what a fire safety plan costs in BC.
2. Site visit to confirm exits, equipment, shut-offs, and layout, and to photograph every fire protection system and all four sides of the building.
3. Draft in 5–7 business days: CAD drawings in the District’s symbol set, the fire safety plan, the pre-incident plan with the Vital Information Form, and the Appointed Fire Safety Director Form, sent to you for review before submission.
4. Submission to firesafetyplans@dnv.org with payment, any revisions they request at no extra charge, and delivery of the accepted plan with the acceptance letter in the binder, plus wall plaques and a fire safety plan box if you need them.

Approval is guaranteed. If DNVFRS rejects a plan we prepared, we revise it until it is accepted.

Frequently asked questions

What does the District charge to review a plan?
$184 plus GST per plan, and the fire safety plan and pre-incident plan are charged separately. One set of revisions is included; a second resubmission is charged again, which is why we send you a full draft before submitting.

What is an “approved fire safety planner”?
DNVFRS requires plans to be prepared by a planner it has approved and whose work meets its guidelines. GetFirePlan is approved and has prepared the District’s own facility plans.

Do we need photographs of all four sides of the building?
Yes. The pre-incident plan requires photographs of the A, B, C, and D sides so crews can orient themselves on arrival. We take them during the site visit.

Our townhouse complex has twelve buildings. Is that one plan?
Usually one plan for the complex with drawings for each building, and one pre-incident plan for the site. We confirm the structure with the public safety officer.

Do you handle construction fire safety plans in the District?
Yes. The District reviews construction plans for new commercial and multi-family buildings, Part 3 single-family homes, base-building work, and industrial demolitions; our construction division at constructionfiresafetyplans.ca prepares those. Request a quote and we reply within one business day.