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Fire Plan Strategies is a Winnipeg-based company that creates Fire Safety and Emergency Planning and Training across Canada. We are 100% Canadian owned and operated.
We call our services certified because all products and services are designed, supervised, or delivered by nationally accredited NFPA Fire Inspectors.
We always provide free quotes with no obligation, so contact us today to find out how we can improve safety and reduce liability for you!
Tim Tanner: Founder
Tim Tanner, the founder of Fire Plan Strategies, is an accredited National Fire Protection Agency (NFPA) Level I and II Fire Inspector. NFPA is a national certification recognized throughout Canada and much of the United States.Before founding Fire Plan Strategies, Tim spent over seven years in the fire prevention branch of the Winnipeg Fire Department. In this time he was the high-rise building and large complex specialist, trained new fire inspectors, performed research and developed several fire prevention programs.
In total, Tim was a member of the Winnipeg Fire Department for over 29 years before retiring in 2006. Over the years Tim worked as Fire Fighter, Fire Inspector, Fire Ground Lieutenant and Captain of a fire hall.
Tim Tanner also studied communication, effective presentations, adult education/training, and business administration courses at the university level.
Other Life Safety Professionals
Everyone that works on behalf of Fire Plan Strategies is an expert in their area of specialization. For example, each and every fire and disaster plan that we create is overseen and ultimately approved by a certified NFPA fire inspector. The staff that conduct our facility assessments have extensive knowledge of the fire code. Our safety trainers have formal training and experience delivering safety training. With Fire Plan Strategies, you can trust that all aspects of your project are handled by professionals.
Based on your website and qualifications, I expected the price to be much higher!
Our business philosophy is based on making high-quality fire safety planning accessible to all facilities, large and small. To achieve this, we have built our team and designed our processes with efficiency as our top priority.
To our clients, this means we are not a boutique consulting firm, and we do not charge astronomical rates and work exclusively on projects with large budgets. Instead, we compete on every quote, from small walk-up apartments to airports and national retail chains.
We are not always the cheapest, but we are always the best.
We always provide free quotes with no obligation, so contact us today to find out how we can improve safety and reduce liability for you!
This page describes the typical workflow of a Fire Plan Strategies (FPS) project.
Initial Contact
The project begins when someone contacts us by telephone or e-mail. Often these are referrals from our existing customers or repeat business from existing property owners, management companies, etc. We are also contacted by many clients who have seen our signs in buildings they have visited, or that have found us in the Yellow Pages or on this website.
On-Site Consultation
After the initial contact, an FPS representative will often schedule a meeting at your location. This representative is not a sales person, they are an FPS safety specialist and will be the primary contact from this meeting until the end of the project.
At this meeting, our representative will learn more about the facilities, staff, and the project needs. He will also bring a copy of the fire code section that explains the legal requirements for planning and training, as well as a sample fire and disaster plan and some sample signs. The on-site consultation does not imply any obligations for the potential client.
Proposal
Based on the consultation, FPS will create a detailed project proposal that includes a timeline, pricing information, and describes the responsibilities of FPS and the client. The proposal and pricing are separated into categories for the fire and disaster plan, emergency procedures signs, training, fire drills, etc. You will decide which of these services are included in your project.
Information Gathering and Facility Assessment
After agreeing to the proposal, the client will provide FPS with floor plans (electronic or architectural drawings). An FPS assessment specialist will conduct a walk-through of the facility, noting any errors in the floor plans and recording site-specific information about the type and location of various life-safety systems: pull-stations, fire extinguishers, type of alarm system, sprinkler tree, fire pump, emergency generator, etc.
We have local partners and offices in many areas across Canada. In other areas, additional options for facility assessments are available. Click here for more details.
Fire and Disaster Plan
Using the information gathered in the facility assessment, an FPS draftsman will create an electronic fire-safety floor plan that shows the locations of all relevant life-safety systems. At the same time, an FPS fire plan designer will create a customized fire and disaster plan. The plan is tailored to the life safety equipment and situations that your occupants may face, it does not include template sections that are irrelevant to your facility. The plan is also specific to the local fire department jurisdiction and will exceed the fire code requirements. In jurisdictions that require the plan be approved by the local fire-safety officials, we will get the plan approved for you!
Training
After the plan has been accepted by the client, an FPS life-safety trainer will created a customized presentation that explains the life-safety systems and emergency procedures for the facility. This will be presented to the appropriate occupants of the facility on-site in conjunction with a training session on portable fire extinguisher selection and use. The fire extinguisher training may include a live fire-fighting component in the parking lot or other suitable location.Fire Drill
Some time after the new fire and disaster plan has been put in place and the occupants have been trained, a FPS representative will conduct an on-site fire drill. The drill will be coordinated with the local fire department. The FPS representative will pay special attention to whether the fire plan's emergency procedures have been followed and will provide a follow-up report to the client.
Mission:
To increase awareness of fire, fire hazards, and fire preplanning to safeguard lives and property.
Vision:
Deliver high impact multi-media training workshops that entertain and educate. Training is based on Fire Code compliant site specific fire safety emergency planning.
Corporate Details:
Fire Plan Strategies Inc. is an incorporated business with headquarters in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. We provide Fire Safety and Emergency Planning and Training across Canada. We are 100% Canadian owned and operated.
Fire Safety Plans for Condominiums
A condominium fire plan is a living document that describes all of the procedures and systems related to fire safety within a condominium. The plan is comprehensive; it outlines everything from procedures for training staff and residents (fire drills, etc), to maintenance of physical safety systems (sprinklers, alarms, etc.), to specific instructions for how to react in case of a fire emergency.
All condominiums with fire alarm systems are obligated by law to have and maintain a fire safety plan [Manitoba Fire Code, Division B, Section 2.8]. Having a proper fire safety plan will both prevent fire emergencies from happening and will protect lives and property if an emergency does occur. The fire safety plan also protects owners and management and limits liability exposure in the case of an accident. Clearly, creating a comprehensive fire safety plan is a crucial aspect of the condominium board’s mandate.
The responsibility for creating and implementing the fire safety plan lies with the building owner: in this case, the condominium corporation. These groups often overlook the importance of fire safety plans, leaving them in violation of the law, exposed to considerable liability, and most importantly not looking out for the safety interests of the residents.
Contents of a typical condominium fire safety plan
- Emergency response procedures for residents
- Sounding the alarm
- Notifying the fire department
- Instructing occupants on procedures
- Evacuation of persons with special needs
- Confining, controlling, and extinguishing the fire
- Appointment of supervisory staff to carry out fire safety duties
- Photos of the fire safety systems
- Floor plans showing location of the fire safety systems
- Documents detailing the operation of the fire safety systems
- Procedures and required frequency of fire drills
- Fire hazard awareness and control of fire hazards in the building
- Maintenance, inspection, and testing of building safety systems
- Too many more to list
If the building is a residential high-rise building (over 18 metres), even more stringent requirements are mandated in the code.
Certain condominium buildings that do not have a fire alarm system may not be obligated by law to have a fire safety plan. This list illustrates why emergency planning is always the prudent thing to do.
Who should create the fire safety plan?
Creating a comprehensive fire safety plan that does its job and meets the appropriate codes is a specialized skill that requires training and experience. Untrained authors rarely, if ever, create a document that meets the high standards of the fire code in both spirit and letter.
As with legal and health matters, there is often a more convenient or affordable option than hiring an experienced professional to provide the services you need. And like legal and health matters, the easier route often has catastrophic consequences in case of an emergency.
Fire departments often strongly encourage building owners to submit their fire safety plans for review and approval, mainly to ensure the plan complies with fire codes. During a fire safety inspection, the fire department will expect the owner to produce a valid, current fire safety plan. Contact your local fire department for more information.
What professional businesses create fire safety plans?
There are a number of companies in Winnipeg and across Canada that prepare fire safety plans, emergency response signage and training for supervisory staff.
These companies can often be found in the Yellow Pages under “fire protection consultants”. The fire prevention branch of the local fire department can also often recommend suitable companies.
When selecting a company to do your work, consider asking the following questions:
- Do they employ NFPA certified fire inspectors?
- IF not NFPA certified, where were they trained about the fire code?
- How long have they been in the fire safety industry?
- Do they make custom, site-specific safety plans or are they generic?
- Are their plans created by a human expert, or by a computer program?
- Do they provide samples of their previous work?
The most important aspect of choosing a professional to create your fire plan is that you are confident that they can deliver a fire safety plan that will protect you and your residents from harm and liability in case of accidents.
Author: Tim Tanner, President, Fire Plan Strategies Inc.
Tim Tanner is a nationally accredited and experienced NFPA fire inspector, and president of Fire Plan Strategies Inc., a Manitoba based provider of fire safety plans, emergency response training, and signage.
