Fire Safety Plan Kelowna

Who needs a fire safety plan in Kelowna

The Kelowna Fire Department applies Section 2.8 of the BC Fire Code: every building with a fire alarm system, every assembly or care occupancy, every high building, every building with sprinkler or standpipe systems, every storage or hazardous-process area the Code names separately, and every construction and demolition site needs a fire safety plan. Kelowna is the largest city in the Interior and has been building faster than almost anywhere in BC, so that list covers the downtown and Pandosy towers, the hotels and resorts along the lake, the big-box centres along Harvey Avenue and Banks Road, the wineries and packing houses, the airport and the industrial parks around it, UBC Okanagan and Okanagan College, the care homes and hospital precinct, and the wood-frame stratas across Rutland, Glenmore, and the Mission.

The City files fire safety plans under its building permit program: the plan is submitted to and reviewed by the Kelowna Fire Department before a new or renovated building begins operating, and the City publishes its own example plan so owners know what a complete submission looks like.

How the Kelowna Fire Department reviews a plan

Fire Prevention reviews plans alongside the Building Department’s permit process and through its inspection program. What reviewers expect:

• A site-specific plan following the City’s example: fire department information up front, supervisory staff appointments, emergency contacts, building description, alarm and sprinkler details with the monitoring company, and primary and secondary access routes.
• Scaled drawings for the site and every floor showing exits, fire protection equipment, fire department connections, shut-offs, assembly areas, and hazard rooms.
• Submission with the permit for new construction and tenant improvements, and before occupancy for the completed building; existing buildings submit through Fire Prevention.
• A review fee invoiced by the City, which we include in your quote and pay on your behalf.
• Fire drills at the frequency BC Fire Code 2.8.3.2 sets for the occupancy, with the records kept in the plan.

Construction and demolition sites, including renovations, need their own plan under Section 5.6 of the Fire Code, reviewed by the department before work starts.

The buildings we plan for in Kelowna

Since 2003 we have prepared more than 1,000 fire safety plans across BC, and Kelowna is our largest Interior market. Our work there runs to four types:

• Harvey Avenue, Banks Road, and the retail corridors: big-box stores, plazas, restaurants, and dealerships along Highway 97, where each tenant’s plan has to fit the base building’s alarm and sprinkler systems.
• Hotels, resorts, and the lakefront: hotel properties downtown and along Lakeshore Road, condo-hotels, and the new mixed-use towers, where guests do not know the building and front-desk staff are the supervisory team.
• The airport and the industrial parks along Airport Way, Pier Mac Way, Kyle Court, and the Appaloosa Road corridor: aviation buildings, warehouses, manufacturing, and construction plans for new industrial buildings on the same sites.
• Residential and care along Fuller Avenue, Lapointe Drive, Carion Road, and across Rutland, Glenmore, and the Mission: wood-frame apartment buildings and stratas, seniors’ residences, and care homes, where the evacuation procedures for people needing assistance carry the plan.

Our commercial fire safety plan page covers restaurants, retail, and offices in more depth. Buildings in Kamloops are reviewed by Kamloops Fire Rescue under a different guideline.

Keeping a Kelowna plan current

The plan should be reviewed every year and updated whenever the Fire Safety Director, property manager, monitoring or service contractors, tenants, or building systems change. Fire Prevention inspections check for a current plan on site, and a renovation permit is a trigger for a resubmission. 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 City’s review fee. 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. We schedule Okanagan visits in blocks so travel never adds to your fee.
3. Draft in 5–7 business days: CAD drawings and the full written plan, sent to you for review before submission.
4. Submission to the Kelowna Fire Department, any revisions they request at no extra charge, and delivery of the accepted plan in print and PDF with wall plaques and a fire safety plan box if you need one.

Approval is guaranteed. If the Kelowna Fire Department rejects a plan we prepared, we revise it until it is accepted.

Frequently asked questions

Our building permit application asks for a fire safety plan. Is that the same document?
Yes for the occupancy plan, which the department reviews before the building begins operating. Construction sites need a separate construction fire safety plan under Section 5.6 first.

What does Kelowna charge to review a plan?
The City invoices a review fee rather than publishing a flat rate. We include it in your quote and pay it with the submission.

We are in West Kelowna or Lake Country. Does this apply?
West Kelowna and Lake Country have their own fire departments and their own review processes. We prepare plans for both; tell us the address and we will confirm the process.

Our winery has a tasting room, a production building, and a restaurant. How many plans?
Usually one plan for the site with drawings for each building, covering the assembly spaces and the flammable-liquids and process areas. We confirm the structure with Fire Prevention.

Do you handle construction fire safety plans in Kelowna?
Yes. Our construction division at constructionfiresafetyplans.ca prepares those. Request a quote and we reply within one business day.