Defined Terms

1) The words and terms in italics in this Code shall have the following meanings:

• 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.
• Air-supported structure means a structure consisting of a pliable membrane that achieves and maintains its shape and support by internal air pressure.
• 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.
• Assembly occupancy (Group A) 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.
• Atmospheric storage tank means a storage tank designed to operate at pressures from atmospheric to 3.5 kPa (gauge).
• Authority having jurisdiction means the governmental body responsible for the enforcement of any part of this Code or the official or agency designated by that body to exercise such a function.
• Basement means a storey or storeys of a building located below the first storey.
• 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.
• Building means any structure used or intended for supporting or sheltering any use or occupancy.
• Business and personal services occupancy (Group D) 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.
• Care means the provision of services other than treatment by or through care facility management to residents who require these services because of cognitive, physical or behavioural limitations.
• Care occupancy (Group B, Division 3) means the occupancy or use of a building or part thereof where care is provided to residents. (See Appendix A.)
• Chimney means a primarily vertical shaft enclosing at least one flue for conducting flue gases to the outdoors.
• Class B fire means a fire involving a flammable liquid or combustible liquid, fat or grease.
• Closed container means a container sealed by means of a lid or other device such that neither liquid nor vapour will escape from it at ordinary temperatures.
• Closure means a device or assembly for closing an opening through a fire separation or an exterior wall, such as a door, a shutter, wired glass or glass block, and includes all components such as hardware, closing devices, frames and anchors.
• Combustible construction means that type of construction that does not meet the requirements for noncombustible construction.
• Combustible dusts means dusts and particles that are ignitable and liable to produce an explosion.
• Combustible fibres means finely divided, combustible vegetable or animal fibres and thin sheets or flakes of such materials which, in a loose, unbaled condition, present a flash fire hazard, including cotton, wool, hemp, sisal, jute, kapok, paper and cloth.
• Combustible liquid means a liquid having a flash point at or above 37.8°C and below 93.3°C. (See Subsection 4.1.2. of Division B.)
• Dangerous goods means those products or substances that are regulated by (See Table 3.2.7.1. of Division B.)
• Detention occupancy (Group B, Division 1) means the occupancy by persons who are restrained from or are incapable of evacuating to a safe location without the assistance of another person because of security measures not under their control.
• Dispenser sump means a liquid-tight container intended for installation under a dispensing unit for the collection of any internal leakage of flammable liquid and combustible liquid from the dispensing unit.
• Distilled beverage alcohol means a beverage that is produced by fermentation and contains more than 20% by volume of water-miscible alcohol.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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. (See Appendix A.)
• Fire compartment means an enclosed space in a building that is separated from all other parts of the building by enclosing construction providing a fire separation having a required fire-resistance rating.
• Fire damper means a closure consisting of a damper that is installed in an air distribution system or a wall or floor assembly and that is normally held open but designed to close automatically in the event of a fire in order to maintain the integrity of the fire separation.
• Fire-protection rating means the time in minutes or hours that a closure will withstand the passage of flame when exposed to fire under specified conditions of test and performance criteria, or as otherwise prescribed in the National Building Code of Canada 2010.
• Fire-resistance rating means the time in minutes or hours 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 interpretation of information derived therefrom as prescribed in the National Building Code of Canada 2010. (See Appendix A.)
• Fire separation means a construction assembly that acts as a barrier against the spread of fire. (See Appendix A.)
• Fire stop flap means a device intended for use in horizontal assemblies required to have a fire-resistance rating and incorporating protective ceiling membranes that operates to close off a duct opening through the membrane in the event of a fire.
• Firewall means a type of fire separation of noncombustible construction that subdivides a building or separates adjoining buildings to resist the spread of fire and that has a fire-resistance rating as prescribed in this Code and has structural stability to remain intact under fire conditions for the required fire-rated time.
• First storey means the uppermost storey having its floor level not more than 2 m above grade.
• 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 National Building Code of Canada 2010.
• Flammable liquid means a liquid having a flash point below 37.8°C and having a vapour pressure not more than 275.8 kPa (absolute) at 37.8°C as determined by (See Subsection 4.1.2. of Division B.)
• 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. (See Subsection 4.1.3. of Division B.)
• 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.
• Flue means an enclosed passageway for conveying flue gases.
• Flue collar means the portion of a fuel-fired appliance designed for the attachment of the flue pipe or breeching.
• Flue pipe means the pipe connecting the flue collar of an appliance to a chimney.
• Fuel-dispensing station means any premises or part thereof at which flammable liquids or combustible liquids are dispensed from fixed equipment into the fuel tanks of motor vehicles, watercraft or floatplanes.
• Grade means the lowest of the average levels of finished ground adjoining each exterior wall of a building, except that localized depressions need not be considered in the determination of average levels of finished ground. (See First storey and Appendix A.)
• High-hazard industrial occupancy (Group F, Division 1) means an industrial occupancy containing sufficient quantities of highly combustible and flammable or explosive materials which, because of their inherent characteristics, constitute a special fire hazard.
• Individual storage area means the area occupied by piles, bin boxes, racks or shelves, including subsidiary aisles providing access to the stored products, and separated from adjacent storage by aisles not less than 2.4 m in width. (See Appendix A.)
• Industrial occupancy (Group F) means the occupancy or use of a building or part thereof for the assembling, fabricating, manufacturing, processing, repairing or storing of goods and materials.
• 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.
• Low-hazard industrial occupancy (Group F, Division 3) means an industrial occupancy in which the combustible content is not more than 50 kg/m ² or 1200 MJ/m ² of floor area.
• Low pressure storage tank means a storage tank designed to operate at pressures greater than 3.5 kPa (gauge) and up to 100 kPa (gauge).
• 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.
• Major occupancy means the principal occupancy for which a building or part thereof is used or intended to be used, and shall be deemed to include the subsidiary occupancies that are an integral part of the principal occupancy. The major occupancy classifications used in this Code are as follows:

  A1	Assembly occupancies intended for the production and viewing of the performing arts
  A2	Assembly occupancies not elsewhere classified in Group A
  A3	Assembly occupancies of the arena type
  A4	Assembly occupancies in which the occupants are gathered in the open air
  B1	Detention occupancies in which persons are under restraint or are incapable of self-preservation because of security measures not under their control
  B2	Treatment occupancies
  B3	Care occupancies
  C	Residential occupancies
  D	Business and personal services occupancies
  E	Mercantile occupancies
  F1	High-hazard industrial occupancies
  F2	Medium-hazard industrial occupancies
  F3	Low-hazard industrial occupancies

• Marine fuel-dispensing station means a fuel-dispensing station at which flammable liquids or combustible liquids are dispensed into the fuel tanks of watercraft or floatplanes.
• 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 public thoroughfare. Means of egress includes exits and access to exits.
• Medium-hazard industrial occupancy (Group F, Division 2) means an industrial occupancy in which the combustible content is more than 50 kg/m ² or 1200 MJ/m ² of floor area and not classified as a high-hazard industrial occupancy.
• Mercantile occupancy (Group E) means the occupancy or use of a building or part thereof for the displaying or selling of retail goods, wares or merchandise.
• 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.
• Occupancy means the use or intended use of a building or part thereof for the shelter or support of persons, animals or property.
• Occupant load means the number of persons for which a building or part thereof is designed.
• Partition means an interior wall 1 storey or part-storey in height that is not loadbearing.
• Pressure vessel means a storage tank designed to operate at pressures greater than 100 kPa (gauge).
• Process plant means an industrial occupancy where materials, including flammable liquids, combustible liquids or gases, are produced or used in a process. (See Table 3.2.7.1. of Division B.)
• 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.
• Refinery means any process plant in which flammable liquids 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.
• Residential occupancy (Group C) means the occupancy or use of a building or part thereof by persons for whom sleeping accommodation is provided but who are not harboured for the purpose of receiving care or treatment and are not involuntarily detained.
• Self-service outlet means a fuel-dispensing station other than a marine fuel-dispensing station where the public handles the dispenser.
• Service room means a room provided in a building to contain equipment associated with building services. (See Appendix A.)
• Service space means space provided in a building to facilitate or conceal the installation of building service facilities such as chutes, ducts, pipes, shafts or wires.
• Smoke alarm means a combined smoke detector and audible alarm device designed to sound an alarm within the room or suite in which it is located upon the detection of smoke within that room or suite.
• 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.
• Sprinklered (as applying to a building or part thereof) means that the building or part thereof is equipped with a system of automatic sprinklers.
• 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.
• Storey means that portion of a building situated between the top of any floor and the top of the floor next above it, and if there is no floor above it, that portion between the top of such floor and the ceiling above it.
• 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.
• 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 business and personal services occupancies. (See Appendix A.)
• 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.
• 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 and used for the transportation of flammable liquids or combustible liquids and including tank trucks, trailers and semi-trailers.
• 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 and combustible liquid.
• Treatment means the provision of medical or other health-related intervention to persons, where the administration or lack of administration of these interventions may render them incapable of evacuating to a safe location without the assistance of another person. (See Appendix A).
• Treatment occupancy (Group B, Division 2) means the occupancy or use of a building or part thereof for the provision of treatment, and where overnight accommodation is available to facilitate the treatment. (See Appendix A.)
• Turbine sump means a container designed to provide access to equipment and to contain minor leakage, and installed to prevent water ingress.
• Unstable liquid means a liquid, including flammable liquids and combustible liquids, that is chemically reactive to the extent that it will vigorously react or decompose at or near normal temperature and pressure conditions or that is chemically unstable when subject to impact.
• 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.