OFC Defined Terms - Ontario Fire Code

Acceptable solution Acceptable solution means a requirement set out in Division B. (“solution acceptable”)

Access to exit Access to exit means that part of a means of egress within a floor area that provides access to an exit serving the floor area. (“accès à l’issue”)

Agricultural occupancy Agricultural occupancy means the occupancy of a building or part thereof that is located on land that is associated with and devoted to the practice of farming and is used for the purpose of producing crops, raising farm animals or preparing, marketing, storing or processing agricultural(...)

Agricultural occupancy with no human occupants Agricultural occupancy with no human occupants means an agricultural occupancy that is not intended to be occupied by persons under normal use and is generally used for the storage of agricultural materials and by-products. (“établissement agricole sans occupation humaine”)

Air-supported structure Air-supported structure means a structure that consists of a pliable membrane that achieves and maintains its shape and support by internal air pressure. (“structure gonflable”)

Alarm signal Alarm signal means an audible signal transmitted throughout a zone or zones or throughout a building to advise occupants that a fire emergency exists. (“signal d’alarme”)

Alert signal Alert signal means an audible signal to advise designated persons of a fire emergency. (“signal d’alerte”)

Alternative solution Alternative solution means a substitute for an acceptable solution. (“solution de rechange”)

Appliance Appliance means a device to convert fuel into energy, and includes all components, controls, wiring and piping required to be part of the device by the applicable standard referred to in this Code. (“appareil”)

Approved Approved means approved by the Chief Fire Official. (“approuvé”)

Architect Architect means a member or licensee of the Ontario Association of Architects under the Architects Act. (“architecte”)

Assembly occupancy Assembly occupancy means the occupancy or the use of a building, or part thereof, by a gathering of persons for civic, political, travel, religious, social, educational, recreational or like purposes or for the consumption of food or drink. (“établissement de reunion”)

Atmospheric storage tank Atmospheric storage tank means a storage tank that is designed to operate at pressures from atmospheric to 3.5 kPa (gauge). (“réservoir de stockage sous pression atmosphérique”)

Attic space Attic space means the space between the roof and the ceiling of the top storey or between a dwarf wall and a sloping roof. (“comble”)

Basement Basement means a storey or storeys of a building located below the first storey. (“sous-sol”)

Boiler Boiler means an appliance intended to supply hot water or steam for space heating, processing or power purposes. (“chaudière”)

Breeching Breeching means a flue pipe or chamber for receiving flue gases from one or more flue connections and for discharging these gases through a single flue connection. (“collecteur de fumée”)

Building Building means any structure used or intended for supporting or sheltering any use or occupancy. (“bâtiment”)

Building area Building area means the greatest horizontal area of a building above grade within the outside surface of exterior walls or within the outside surface of exterior walls and the centre line of firewalls. (“aire de bâtiment”)

Building Code Building Code means any version of the Ontario Building Code that was in force at any time since it wasmade under The Building Code Act, 1974, the Building Code Act of the Revised Statutes of Ontario,1980, the Building Code Act of the Revised Statutes of Ontario, 1990, the Building Code Act,(...)

Building height Building height (in storeys) means the number of storeys contained between the roof and the floor of the first storey. (“hauteur de bâtiment”)

Business and personal services occupancy Business and personal services occupancy means the occupancy or use of a building or part thereof for the transaction of business or the rendering or receiving of professional or personal services. (“établissement d’affaires”)

Care and treatment occupancy Care and treatment occupancy means an occupancy in which persons receive special care and treatment.(“établissement de soins et de traitement”)

Care occupancy Care occupancy means an occupancy in which special care is provided by a facility, directly through its staff or indirectly through another provider, to residents of the facility(a) who require special care because of cognitive or physical limitations, and(b) who, as a result of those(...)

Check Check means visual observation to ensure the device or system is in place and is not obviously damaged or obstructed. (“verification”)

Chief Fire Official Chief Fire Official means the assistant to the Fire Marshal who is the Municipal Fire Chief or a member ormembers of the fire department appointed by the Municipal Fire Chief under Article 1.1.1.2. of Division Cor a person appointed by the Fire Marshal under Article 1.1.1.1. of Division C.(...)

Chimney Chimney means a primarily vertical shaft enclosing at least 1 flue for conducting flue gases to the outdoors. (“cheminée”)

Class A fire Class A fire means a fire involving combustible materials such as wood, cloth and paper. (“feu de classe A”)

Class B fire Class B fire means a fire involving a flammable or combustible liquid, fat or grease. (“feu de classe B”)

Class C fire Class C fire means a fire involving energized electrical equipment. (“feu de classe C”)

Class D fire Class D fire means a fire involving a combustible metal. (“feu de classe D”)

Class K fire Class K fire means a fire involving combustible cooking media such as vegetable oils, animal oils and animal fats. (“feu de classe K”)

Closed container Closed container means a container so sealed by means of a lid or other device that neither liquid nor vapour will escape from it at ordinary temperatures. (“récipient fermé”)

Closure Closure means a device or assembly for closing an opening through a fire separation, an exterior wall or an opening onto a fire escape that is required to be protected, which (a) may include a door, a shutter, wired glass or glass block, and (b) includes all components, such as hardware,(...)

Combustible construction Combustible construction means that type of construction that does not meet the requirements for noncombustible construction or encapsulated mass timber construction. (“construction combustible”)

Combustible dust Combustible dust means dust and particles that are ignitable and liable to produce an explosion. (“poussière combustible”)

Combustible fibres Combustible fibres means finely divided combustible vegetable or animal fibres and thin sheets or flakes of such materials that in a loose, unbaled condition present a flash fire hazard, and includes cotton, wool, hemp, sisal, jute, kapok, paper and cloth. (“fibres combustibles”)

Combustible liquid Combustible liquid means any liquid having a flash point at or above 37.8°C and below 93.3°C. (“liquidecombustible”)

Compressed gas Compressed gas means any contained mixture or material with either an absolute pressure exceeding275.8 kPa at 21°C or an absolute pressure exceeding 717 kPa at 54°C, or both, or any liquid having anabsolute vapour pressure exceeding 275.8 kPa at 37.8°C. (“gaz comprimé”)

Contained use area Contained use area means a supervised area containing one or more rooms in which occupant movement is restricted to a single room by security measures not under the control of the occupant. (“zone de détention cellulaire”)

Dangerous goods Dangerous goods means products, materials or substances that are (a) regulated by the Transportation of Dangerous Goods Regulations, SOR/2001-286, made under the Transportation of Dangerous Goods Act (Canada), or (b) classified as hazardous products under the Hazardous Products Regulations,(...)

Demolition Demolition means the doing of anything in the removal of a building or any material part thereof. (“demolition”)

Detention occupancy Detention occupancy means an occupancy in which persons are under restraint or are incapable of selfpreservation because of security measures not under their control. (“établissement de detention”)

Dispenser sump Dispenser sump means a liquid-tight container intended for installation under a dispensing unit for the collection of any internal leakage of flammable liquid or combustible liquid from the dispensing unit. (“puisard de distributeur”)

Distilled beverage alcohol Distilled beverage alcohol means a beverage that is produced by fermentation and contains more than 20 per cent by volume of water-miscible alcohol. (“boisson alcoolique distillée”)

Distillery Distillery means a process plant where distilled beverage alcohols are produced, concentrated or otherwise processed, and includes facilities on the same site where the concentrated products may be blended, mixed, stored or packaged. (“distillerie”)

Dwelling unit Dwelling unit means a suite operated as a housekeeping unit, used or intended to be used by one or more persons and usually containing cooking, eating, living, sleeping and sanitary facilities, and includes aresidential unit. (“logement”)

Encapsulated mass timber construction Encapsulated mass timber construction means that type of construction in which a degree of fire safety is attained by the use of encapsulated mass timber elements with an encapsulation rating and minimum dimensions for structural members and other building assemblies. (“construction en bois(...)

Encapsulation rating Encapsulation rating means the time in minutes that a material or assembly of materials will delay the ignition and combustion of encapsulated mass timber elements when it is exposed to fire under specified conditions of test and performance criteria. (“degré d’encapsulation”)

Exit Exit means that part of a means of egress, including doorways, that leads from the floor area it serves to a separate building, an open public thoroughfare or an exterior open space protected from fire exposure from the building and having access to an open public thoroughfare. (“issue”)

Facility Facility, for the purposes of Division A, means a property upon which a use regulated by this Code, including open air public assembly activities, open air industrial processing and outdoor storage, occurs, whether or not a building is located on the property. (“installation”)

Farm building Farm building means a building or part thereof that contains an agricultural occupancy. (“bâtiment agricole”)

Fire compartment Fire compartment means an enclosed space in a building that is separated from all other parts of the building by enclosing construction that provides a fire separation having a required fire-resistance rating. (“compartiment résistant au feu”)

Fire damper Fire damper means a closure that consists of a damper installed in an air distribution system or in a wall or floor assembly that is normally held in the open position and that is designed to close automatically in the event of a fire in order to maintain the integrity of the fire separation.(...)

Fire department Fire department means a group of firefighters authorized to provide fire protection services by a municipality, group of municipalities or by an agreement made under section 3 of the Fire Protection and Prevention Act, 1997. (“service d’incendie”)

Fire detector Fire detector means a device which detects a fire condition and automatically initiates an electrical signal to actuate an alert signal or alarm signal and includes heat detectors and smoke detectors. (“détecteur d’incendie”)

Fire-protection rating Fire-protection rating means the time in hours or fraction thereof that a closure, window assembly or glass block assembly will withstand the passage of flame when exposed to fire under specified conditions of test and performance criteria, or as otherwise prescribed in the Building Code.(...)

Fire-resistance rating Fire-resistance rating means the time in hours or fraction thereof that a material or assembly of materials will withstand the passage of flame and the transmission of heat when exposed to fire under specified conditions of test and performance criteria, or as determined by extension or(...)

Fire separation Fire separation means a construction assembly that acts as a barrier against the spread of fire. (“séparation coupe-feu”)

Fire stop Fire stop means a draft-tight barrier within or between construction assemblies that acts to retard the passage of smoke and flame. (“coupe-feu”)

Fire-stop flap Fire-stop flap means a device intended for use in horizontal assemblies that are required to have afire-resistance rating and incorporate protective ceiling membranes and that operates to close off a ductopening through the membrane in the event of a fire. (“clapet coupe-feu”)

Firewall Firewall means a fire separation of noncombustible construction that subdivides a building or separates adjoining buildings to resist the spread of fire that has a fire-resistance rating as prescribed in the Building Code and that has structural stability to remain intact under fire(...)

First storey First storey means the storey with its floor closest to grade and having its ceiling more than 1.8 m above grade. (“premier étage”)

Flame-spread rating Flame-spread rating means an index or classification indicating the extent of spread of flame on the surface of a material or an assembly of materials as determined in a standard fire test as prescribed in the Building Code. (“indice de propagation de la flamme”)

Flammable liquid Flammable liquid means a liquid having a flash point below 37.8ºC and having a vapour pressure not more than 275.8 kPa (absolute) at 37.8ºC as determined by ASTM D 323, “Vapor Pressure of Petroleum Products (Reid Method)”. (“liquide inflammable”)

Flash point Flash point means the minimum temperature at which a liquid within a container gives off vapour in sufficient concentration to form an ignitable mixture with air near the surface of the liquid. (“point d’éclair”)

Floor area Floor area means the space on any storey of a building between exterior walls and required firewalls, including the space occupied by interior walls and partitions, but not including exits, vertical service spaces and their enclosing assemblies. (“aire de plancher”)

Flue Flue means an enclosed passageway for conveying exhaust gases. (“conduit de fumée”)

Flue collar Flue collar means the portion of a fuel-fired appliance designed for the attachment of the flue pipe or breeching. (“buse”)

Flue Pipe Flue pipe means the pipe connecting the flue collar of an appliance to a chimney. (“tuyau de raccordement”)

Fuel-dispensing station Fuel-dispensing station means any premises or part of premises at which flammable liquids or combustible liquids are dispensed from fixed equipment into the fuel tank of a motor vehicle, watercraft or floatplane. (“poste de distribution de carburant”)

Functional statement Functional statement means a function set out in Part 3. (“énoncé fonctionnel”)

Furnace Furnace means a space-heating appliance that uses warm air as the heating medium and that usually has provision for the attachment of ducts. (“générateur d’air chaud”)

Grade Grade means the average level of finished ground adjoining a building at all exterior walls. (“niveau moyendu sol”)

Guest suite Guest suite means a single room or a series of rooms of complementary use providing sleeping accommodation for the travelling public or for recreational purposes in a hotel establishment. (“suite pour invites”)

Hazardous extraction Hazardous extraction means a process to remove or separate a substance from a solution or mixture thatinvolves the use of flammable liquids, combustible liquids or flammable gases as solvents in the process.(“extraction dangereuse”)

Heat detector Heat detector means a fire detector designed to operate at a predetermined temperature or rate of temperature rise. (“détecteur de chaleur”)

Heavy timber construction Heavy timber construction means that type of combustible construction in which a degree of fire safety is attained by placing limitations on the sizes of wood structural members and on thickness and composition of wood floors and roofs, by avoidance of concealed spaces under floors and roofs(...)

High-hazard agricultural occupancy High-hazard agricultural occupancy means an agricultural occupancy containing sufficient quantities of highly combustible and flammable or explosive materials which, because of their inherent characteristics, constitute a special fire hazard. (“établissement agricole à risques très élevés”)

High-hazard industrial occupancy High-hazard industrial occupancy means an industrial occupancy that contains sufficient quantities of highly combustible and flammable or explosive materials that, because of their inherent characteristics, constitute a special fire hazard. (“établissement industriel à risques très élevés”)

Hotel Hotel means floor areas, a floor area or part of a floor area containing four or more suites that provide sleeping accommodation for the travelling public or for recreational purposes. (“hôtel”)

Hotel establishment Hotel establishment means a building containing a hotel and all subsidiary occupancies that are operated in connection with the hotel and includes all connected or adjacent buildings that are operated in connection with the hotel. (“établissement hotelier”)

Impeded egress zone Impeded egress zone means a supervised area in which occupants have free movement but require the release, by security personnel, of security doors at the boundary before they are able to leave the area, but does not include a contained use area. (“zone à sortie contrôlée”)

Individual storage area Individual storage area means the area occupied by piles, bin boxes, racks or shelves, including subsidiary aisles providing access to the stored products, which is separated from the adjacent storage by aisles. (“îlot de stockage”)

Industrial occupancy Industrial occupancy means the occupancy or use of a building or part thereof for assembling, fabricating, manufacturing, processing, repairing or storing of goods and materials. (“établissement industriel”)

Inspection Inspection means physical examination to determine that the device or system will apparently perform in accordance with its intended function. (“inspection”)

Interconnected floor space Interconnected floor space means superimposed floor areas or parts of floor areas in which floor assemblies that are required to be fire separations are penetrated by openings that are not provided with closures. (“aire communicante”)

Listed Listed means equipment or materials included in a list published by a certification organization accredited by the Standards Council of Canada. (“répertorié”)

Low-hazard industrial occupancy Low-hazard industrial occupancy means an industrial occupancy in which the combustible content is not more than 50 kg/m2 or 1200 MJ/m2 of floor area. (“établissement industriel à risques faibles”)

Low pressure storage tank Low pressure storage tank means a storage tank designed to operate at pressures greater than 3.5 kPa (gauge) to 100 kPa (gauge). (“réservoir de stockage sous basse pression”)

Lower explosive limit Lower explosive limit means the minimum concentration of vapour in air at which the propagation of flame occurs on contact with a source of ignition. (“limite inférieure d’explosivité”)

Major occupancy Major occupancy means the principal occupancy for which a building or part thereof is used or intended to be used, and includes the subsidiary occupancies that are an integral part of the principal occupancy. (“usage principal”)

Marine fuel-dispensing station Marine fuel-dispensing station means a fuel-dispensing station at which flammable liquids or combustible liquids are dispensed into the fuel tank of a watercraft or floatplane. (“poste marin de distribution de carburant”)

Means of egress Means of egress means a continuous path of travel provided for the escape of persons from any point in a building or contained open space to a separate building, an open public thoroughfare or an exterior open space protected from fire exposure from the building and having access to an open(...)

Medium-hazard industrial occupancy Medium-hazard industrial occupancy means an industrial occupancy in which the combustible content is more than 50 kg/m2 or 1200 MJ/m2 of floor area and not classified as high-hazard industrial occupancy. (“établissement industriel à risques moyens”)

Mercantile occupancy Mercantile occupancy means the occupancy or use of a building or part thereof for the displaying or selling of retail goods, wares or merchandise. (“établissement commercial”)

Minimum explosible concentration Minimum explosible concentration (MEC) means the minimum concentration of combustible dust suspended in air, measured in mass per unit volume, that will support a deflagration as defined by the test procedure in ASTM E 1515, “Standard Test Method for Minimum Explosible Concentration of(...)

Noncombustible construction Noncombustible construction means that type of construction in which a degree of fire safety is attained by the use of noncombustible materials for structural members and other building assemblies. (“construction incombustible”)

Objective Objective means an objective set out in Part 2. (“objectif”)

Occupancy Occupancy means the use or intended use of a building or part thereof for the shelter or support of persons, animals or property. (“usage”)

Occupant load Occupant load means the number of persons for which a building or part thereof is designed. (“nombred’occupants”)

Order Order means an order made under subsection 21(1) of the Fire Protection and Prevention Act, 1997. (“ordre”)

Owner Owner means any person, firm or corporation having control over any portion of the building or propertyunder consideration and includes the persons in the building or property. (“propriétaire”)

Partition Partition means an interior wall, one storey or part of a storey in height, that is not load-bearing. (“cloison”)

Plenum Plenum means a chamber forming part of an air duct system. (“plenum”)

Pressure vessel Pressure vessel means a storage tank that is designed to operate at pressures greater than 100 kPa (gauge). (“récipient sous pression”)

Process plant Process plant means an industrial occupancy where materials, including flammable liquids, combustible liquids or Class 2 gases, are produced or used in a process. (“usine de transformation”)

Professional Engineer Professional Engineer means a person who holds a licence or a temporary licence under the Professional Engineers Act. (“ingénieur”)

Public amusement area Public amusement area means an area where the public is ordinarily invited or permitted access, either expressly or by implication, whether or not a fee is charged for entry, and includes entertainment displays or structures used on a temporary, seasonal or permanent basis. (“aire de(...)

Public corridor Public corridor means a corridor that provides access to exit from more than one suite. (“corridor commun”)

Rack Rack means any combination of vertical, horizontal or diagonal members that support stored materials on solid or open shelves, including both fixed and portable units. (“rayonnage”)

Rapid transit station Rapid transit station means a building or part thereof used for the purpose of loading and unloading passengers of a rapid transit system but does not include open-air shelters at street level. (“station detransport rapide”)

Refinery Refinery means any process plant in which flammable or combustible liquids are produced from crude petroleum, including areas on the same site where the resulting products are blended, packaged or stored on a commercial scale. (“raffinerie”)

Refuse storage room Refuse storage room means a room in a building that is used for the storage of combustible refuse, including waste materials and recyclables. (“salle de stockage des déchets”)

Residential occupancy Residential occupancy means an occupancy in which sleeping accommodation is provided to residents who are not harboured for the purpose of receiving special care or treatment and are not involuntarily detained. (“habitation”)

Residential unit Residential unit means a suite operated as a housekeeping unit, used or intended to be used by one or more persons that contains cooking, eating, living, sleeping and sanitary facilities. (“unité d’habitation”)

Retirement home Retirement home means a retirement home regulated under the Retirement Homes Act, 2010. (“maison de retraite”)

Retrofit Retrofit means the minimum performance requirements for life safety for existing buildings. (“réaménagement”)

Self-service outlet Self-service outlet means a fuel-dispensing station, other than a marine fuel-dispensing station, where the public handles the dispenser. (“poste de distribution libre-service”)

Self-service storage building Self-service storage building means a building that is used to provide individual storage spaces to the public and that is open to the public only for those purposes. (“bâtiment de stockage libre-service”)

Service room Service room means a room in a building used to contain equipment associated with building services. (“local technique”)

Service space Service space means space in a building used to facilitate or conceal the installation of building service facilities such as chutes, ducts, pipes, shafts or wires. (“vide technique”)

Smoke alarm Smoke alarm means a combined smoke detector and audible alarm device that is designed to sound an alarm within the room or suite in which it is located when there is smoke within the room or suite. (“avertisseur de fumée”)

Smoke detector Smoke detector means a fire detector designed to operate when the concentration of airborne combustion products exceeds a predetermined level. (“détecteur de fumée”)

Space heater Space heater means a space-heating appliance that heats the room or space within which it is locatedwithout the use of ducts. (“poêle”)

Space-heating appliance Space-heating appliance means an appliance that supplies heat to a room or space directly or indirectly or to rooms or spaces of a building through a heating system. (“générateur de chaleur”)

Spill containment sump Spill containment sump means a liquid-tight container intended to catch, retain and provide for the evacuation of any product at the time of filling. (“puisard de confinement des déversements”)

Spray booth Spray booth means a power-ventilated structure that encloses or accommodates a spraying operation so that spray vapour and residue can be controlled and exhausted. (“cabine de pulvérisation”)

Spray room Spray room means a spraying area on a floor area or part thereof in which an open spraying operation is confined and that is separated from the remainder of the building in which it is located by a noncombustible vapour-tight separation. (“atelier de pulvérisation”)

Spraying area Spraying area means the area that is within 6 m of a spray booth or spraying operation and that is notseparated therefrom by a vapour-tight separation. (“aire de pulvérisation”)

Sprinklered Sprinklered (as applying to a building or part thereof) means that the building or part thereof is equipped with a system of automatic sprinklers. (“protégé par gicleurs”)

Storage garage Storage garage means a building or part of a building that is intended for the storage or parking of motor vehicles and that contains no provision for the repair or servicing of motor vehicles. (“garage de stationnement”)

Storage tank Storage tank means a vessel for flammable liquids or combustible liquids having a capacity of more than 230 L and designed to be installed in a fixed location. (“réservoir de stockage”)

Storey Storey means that portion of a building that is situated between the top of any floor and the top of the floor next above it, and where there is no floor above it, that portion between the top of the floor and the ceiling above it. (“étage”)

Street Street means any highway, road, boulevard, square or other improved thoroughfare 9 m or more in width that has been dedicated or deeded for public use and is accessible to fire department vehicles and equipment. (“rue”)

Suite Suite means a single room or series of rooms of complementary use, operated under a single tenancy, and includes dwelling units, individual guest rooms in motels, hotels, boarding houses, rooming houses and dormitories, as well as individual stores and individual or complementary rooms for(...)

Supervisory staff Supervisory staff means those occupants of a building who have some delegated responsibility for the fire safety of other occupants under the fire safety plan. (“personnel de surveillance”)

Tank vehicle Tank vehicle means any vehicle, other than railroad tank cars and boats, with a cargo tank having a capacity of more than 450 L mounted or built as an integral part of the vehicle, used for the transportation of flammable or combustible liquids, and includes tank trucks, trailers and(...)

Tent Tent means a shelter or structure with a covering that is made of pliable material. (“tente”)

Test Test means the operation of a device or system to ensure that it will perform in accordance with its intended operation or function. (“essai”)

Total area Total area means the total area of all floors above and below grade, including mezzanines and penthouses, measured between the inside surfaces of exterior walls or between the inside surfaces of exterior walls and the inside surfaces of firewalls. (“superficie totale”)

Transition sump Transition sump means an underground liquid-tight container intended for installation where mechanical connection or transition takes place for the collection of any internal leakage of flammable liquid or combustible liquid. (“puisard de transition”)

Travel distance Travel distance means the distance from any point in a floor area to an exit measured along the path of exit travel, except that when floor areas are subdivided into rooms used singly or into suites of rooms and served by public corridors or exterior passageways, the distance is measured from(...)

Turbine sump Turbine sump means a container designed to provide access to equipment and to contain minor leakage, and installed to prevent water ingress. (“puisard de turbine”)

Unstable liquid Unstable liquid means a liquid, including a flammable liquid or combustible liquid, which is chemically reactive to the extent that it will vigorously react or decompose at or near normal temperature and pressure conditions or which is chemically unstable when subject to impact. (“liquide(...)

Vapour pressure Vapour pressure means the pressure exerted by a liquid as determined by ASTM D 323, “Standard Test Method for Vapor Pressure of Petroleum Products (Reid Method)”. (“pression de vapeur”)

Vertical service space Vertical service space means a shaft oriented essentially vertically that is provided in a building to facilitate the installation of building services, including mechanical, electrical and plumbing installations and facilities such as elevators, refuse chutes and linen chutes. (“vide(...)

Viscosity Viscosity means the resistance that a liquid offers to flow. (“viscosité”)