HIRF - It's Not Over Yet

Minister of Alberta Municipal Affairs Ray Danyluk has had a second look at one of the impacts of High Intensity Residential Fires (HIRF) codes changes and promised results to industry leaders during a recent meeting in Fort Saskatchewan of municipal officials and members of UDI and CHBA. The Minister promised to take a recommendation to Cabinet to allow the original fire code interpretation to apply to homes built on land development projects that were “pipes in the ground” ready when the new codes were implemented. For more information click here.

STANDATA on Protection of Adjacent Buildings

Alberta Municipal Affairs has recently issued a STANDATA clarifying requirements for protection of adjacent buildings from fire, which can be downloaded by clicking here.

Old Building Code STANDATAs

Please be advised the provincial governments Building Technical Council has finished reviewing the Director's Rulings, Director's Interpretations and Information Bulletins that were issued under the Alberta Building Code 1997. Previous editions of STANDATA are specific to the version of the Code that they were issued under. Once a new Code comes into effect, all existing STANDATA are deemed to be obsolete and cannot be used for new construction. They are, however, still valid for evaluating code compliance of existing structures by fire services, insurance companies and by building inspectors in consideration of renovations and retrofits. As such, all STANDATA that were issued under the Alberta Building Code 1997 are no longer valid and should not be used to evaluate code compliance of new construction.

Non-reissuance of STANDATA

While every effort is made to ensure the continuity of enforcement between code cycles, it is recognized that code requirements and policies change over time. As such, there are some STANDATA that were issued under the 1997 Alberta Building Code that have been revised and reissued since the release of the 2006 Alberta Building Code on September 2nd, 2007. However, there are some STANDATA that have been evaluated by Alberta Municipal Affairs and reviewed by the governments Building Technical Council that will not be reissued under the current code. Of particular note is STANDATA 97-IB-042: “Adjustable Steel Columns in Residential Occupancies”, which will not be reissued.

3 Minute Drill

The Alberta government has launched a new hard-hitting fire safety campaign to teach Albertans how to prevent, detect and escape from fires. The education and awareness campaign was developed as part of the government’s commitment made last summer to take action against high-intensity residential fires. Started on June 16, the new television and radio advertisements will be aired province-wide. They will direct people to a new, interactive website that acts as a one-stop source for a wide variety of important information about fire safety. From the website, people can print off a quick checklist to make sure they are doing all they can to keep safe, or they can sign up for regular e-mail reminders to do things like change the batteries in their smoke alarms. For a copy of the ads and to learn more, click here.

STANDATA on Manufactured Structural Components

A STANDATA has been developed by Alberta Municipal Affairs to address the use of manufactured structural components in the construction of one- and two-family dwellings. The components are manufactured roof trusses, manufactured floor joists, manufactured composite wood beams and columns, and engineered steel columns. These components are not covered by the prescriptive requirements of Part 9 of the Alberta Building Code. This STANDATA describes a process by which a safety codes officer (SCO) may accept the use of these manufactured structural components as an alternative to the need for the direct involvement of a professional engineer in each specific project. The STANDATA can be downloaded by clicking here.

Demonstrate Your Safe Work Culture

Does your company strive to demonstrate a safe work culture? Get the recognition you deserve by entering for the CHBA - Alberta Safety Awards. This year's Safety Awards sponsored by ATCO Gas and ATCO Electric will be presented to builders and trade and supply partner members at BUILD 2009. Click here for submission requirements. Deadline for submissions is July 29.

STANDATA on OTR Microwaves

A standata has recently been issued by Alberta Municipal Affairs to clarify the applicability of the Alberta Building Code with regard to microwaves installed above ranges. Click here to download this standata.