Purpose: The following information is compiled to assist the homeowner in developing an acceptable standard of fire safety within a home-based Bed and Breakfast (B&B) in the City of New Westminster. As a B&B business owner, ensuring the safety of your guests is both a legal obligation and a top priority. Because B&B guests are often unfamiliar with your home’s layout, life safety codes strictly enforce emergency exit standards. This bulletin outlines the mandatory primary and secondary escape requirements for your property's living and sleeping areas.
Definition: “A Bed & Breakfast is a home-based business that provides temporary sleeping accommodations on not less than a daily basis, including the provision of a daily breakfast.”
Fire Safety Plan
Every B&B owner shall develop a fire safety plan, review it annually, and update it as necessary. The emergency escape plan should be developed for effectiveness and tested twice a year, along with your personal home escape plan.
The fire safety plan should include:
- Emergency Escape Plan;
- Fire Protection Equipment Information for the unit (i.e. fire extinguishers, smoke alarms) and;
- Record of Routine Maintenance and Inspections of fire protection equipment within a unit.
Emergency Escape Plan – Posted Procedures (see Figure 1):
- The Emergency Escape Plan is to be clearly posted within the unit. The plan should be easy to understand and include the following:
- The address of the unit;
- Escape routes: every guest bedroom and common living area must feature two distinct ways out: a primary and a secondary means of escape.
- Location(s) of fire extinguisher(s); (see Figure 1)
- Local emergency number (9-1-1); and
- Other site-specific information useful to occupants in an emergency, i.e. street name(s), and where meeting spot is located.
A Primary Means of Escape is the main route your guests use daily. It must provide a clear, unobstructed path to the outside at ground level via: a standard door, a stairway, or a ramp.
The Secondary Means of Escape is an alternative way out, in the event the primary is blocked by fire. If the guest unit is sprinklered it does not require a secondary means of escape. Options include: a second, primary exit leading directly outside, an approved window *(see specification below), or a passage through an adjacent room, such as a shared sitting area leading to an exit. Note: this space cannot have a lock on the door that could trap a guest.
*Windows as a secondary means of escape - criteria: Using a window is the most common way B&B owners meet the secondary exit requirement. To qualify as a legal emergency exit for your guests, the window must be easily operable and meet at least one of these conditions:
- The window sill is within 20 feet of the ground outside;
- The window is directly accessible by fire department trucks and ladders;
- The window opens onto an exterior balcony; or
- The window is equipped with a compliant window well (if the guest room is below ground level).
Figure 1 - Sample Escape Plan
The Emergency Escape Plan is to be reviewed with the New Westminster Fire Services PRIOR to posting. Send plan to fire-fpo@newwestcity.ca for review. **Include street address in subject header of email**
2. Fire Protection Equipment
2a) Fire Extinguishers:
- Mount a minimum 5-pound (3A-10BC rating) fire extinguisher between 4”-60” of the floor and not obstructed from view; immediately available in the event of a fire.
- These locations shall be clearly identified on the Fire Escape Plans.
- All extinguishers to be serviced and tagged annually by a certified service technician.
2b) Smoke Alarms:
- Smoke alarms shall be installed in every bedroom, and between the sleeping rooms. With a minimum of one per level.
- If the rental area is on a different floor than the main residential area, it is required to have one, interconnected smoke alarm per floor. It can be either hardwired or interconnected via Wi-Fi. These ones should be in common areas, not the bedrooms ones.
3. Record of Routine Maintenance and Inspection – Fire Protection Equipment:
To be conducted by the property/business owner, or their delegated representative, before and after every guest.
Inspection / Maintenance Log
Smoke Alarms
- Monthly – TEST ALL smoke alarms by using the test button
- Annually – CLEAN ALL smoke alarms. Use a vacuum or hair dryer to remove dust. Replace battery unless it has a long-life battery.
- 10 Year Mark– REPLACE every 10 years.
Fire Extinguishers
- Visibly inspect after every accommodation that it is fully charged and in operable condition.
Smoke & Carbon Monoxide Alarms
- For a building that contains a fuel-burning appliance (e.g. a fireplace) or an attached garage, a carbon monoxide (CO) alarm(s) conforming to CAN/CSA-6.19 shall be installed within 5m of each bedroom door at a height recommended by the manufacturer’s instructions.
Exiting and Means of Egress
- Exits shall be kept clear at all times, doors shall open and close freely and latch securely when closed.
- Every bedroom shall have at least one outside window or exterior door openable from the inside without the use of keys, tools or special knowledge.
- The window shall provide an unobstructed opening of not less than 0.35 m² (3.75 sq. ft.) in an area with no dimension less than 380 mm (15”) and maintain the required opening during an emergency without the need for additional support.
Instructions to Occupants in Case of Fire
When you hear a fire alarm…
- Call 9-1-1.
- Proceed immediately to the nearest evacuation route, closing doors behind you.
- Convene at the designated meeting place.
If you discover a fire…
- If the fire is small, you can choose to use the supplied fire extinguisher; or you can choose to leave the house.
- Exit the house - leave by the nearest safe exit and proceed to the meeting place (see floor plan for details).
- PHONE 9-1-1 from a safe location
- State your name
- The address where you are: _______________________________
- Provide any specific information you have about the emergency (location of fire, is the fire spreading fast, are people trapped, etc.)
- DO NOT go back into the building for ANY reason until the New Westminster Fire Rescue Service has announced “all clear”.
Portable Fire Extinguishers
Portable fire extinguishers are useful only if you know how to use them, if they are right for the type of fire you are fighting, and if the fire is discovered immediately.
Only attempt to fight a fire if...
- You are certain about how to use the extinguisher.
- The fire is NOT spreading beyond the immediate area.
- Your escape route is clear.
Bed and Breakfast Quick Reference Guide (PDF)
