CARLETON UNIVERSITY Special Events Program: Fire, Life Safety and Evacuations Prepared by: Environmental, Health and Safety Department 2014/07/01
INTRODUCTION Heading goes here The facilities and grounds of the Carleton University campus community provide an ideal venue opportunity for events that showcase not only the endeavors and achievements of the Carleton University campus community, but the greater Ottawa community as well. These events include presentations, conferences, sports, merchandise, fundraising and a whole myriad and broad range of academic and public interests. A critical element of any event or activity is that it is planned and conducted in a safe and conscientious manner, including being prepared to evacuate in a timely and efficient manner. Not only is it logical to be sensitive to the safety needs of attendees, event staff, and the campus community, there are also regulatory and legislative compulsions as well. As a result, any event occurring on Carleton University campus containing activities outside the standard daily operations and/or potentially impacting life safety and/or exceeding a capacity of 500 people will need to be reviewed from a fire and life safety standpoint prior to the event. Events occurring on campus meeting these criteria will be called Special Events. Special Events occurring on campus will be broken down into two main categories: 1) Events requiring an approved permit by the City of Ottawa, and 2) Events that do not require an approved permit from the City of Ottawa. This allows for the organization planning the event to understand what is required, what specific information must be received by Carleton University and the City of Ottawa, as well as what are the required submittal deadline dates. As of July 17, 2013 the City of Ottawa has enacted a bylaw (Special Events on Public and Private Property By-law No. 2013-232) pertaining to the planning of Special Events in the city. As per the City of Ottawa, please see below for details on what constitutes a special event as well as the application deadlines: A "special event" under By-law No. 2013-232 means a fair or festival, or a social, recreational, educational, community or similar event that is occurring outdoors on any property that is not a city street / sidewalk and having an expected attendance of at least 500 persons at any one time during the event, and includes a Beach Event. If your event has less than 500 people in attendance, please note that Event Central can still assist you with the coordination of City Services for your event. Events taking place on a city street / sidewalk are subject to the conditions under By-law No. 2001-260. A special event under this By-law includes a demonstration, parade, sports event, festival, carnival, street dance, residential block party, sidewalk sale, outdoor mass and other like events; Based on the size and complexity of your event sufficient notice is required to process your application. This ensures that all facets of your event are able to be addressed in order to deliver a safe and successful event. If your event has an expected attendance of at least 500 persons at any one time or are taking place on a city street/sidewalk 1
If you are planning a special event in Ottawa, you will need to complete and submit a special event application to the Event Central office prior to your event. Application deadlines: 1. 30 days in advance of the special event, if the special event, a. includes pyrotechnics or fireworks, b. includes the preparation, storage, handling, serving or sale of food or beverages, c. includes one or more vendors of any type, d. includes or uses one or more vehicles, e. uses City property, or f. includes open air fires 2. 60 days in advance of the special event, if the special event, a. uses property owned or leased by the Provincial or Federal government, b. requires a noise exemption pursuant to the City's Noise By-law, c. uses or includes aircraft, watercraft, or helicopters, or, d. includes or uses temporary structures or equipment, such as tents larger than 60 m² or 645ft²; 3. 90 days in advance of the special event, if the special event, a. requires a special occasion permit or a temporary extension to an existing license issued by the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario relating to the sale or serving of alcohol, b. uses a highway other than a residential highway, or c. occurs on Victoria Day, Canada Day, Remembrance Day, or New Year's Eve; and, 4. Should a special event not include any of the factors listed in paragraphs (1) to (3), the application deadline shall be 30 days. http://ottawa.ca/en/business/business-licenses-applications-and-permits/business-licensing/planning-outdoor-special If you have any questions about the City of Ottawa Special Event process you may contact the City s Event Central Office: Phone: 3-1-1 E-mail: eventcentral@ottawa.ca FAX: 613-560-6052 Write to us: 101 Centrepointe Drive, Ottawa, ON, K2G 5K7 2
SPECIAL EVENT PROCESS AT CARLETON UNIVERSITY As it relates to fire, life safety and evacuations, the special event process contains 3 components: 1) completion of a Special Event Application, 2) review of application and site assessment, and 3) generation of fire and life safety evacuation plan. 1. Completion of Special Event Application All Organizations wishing to schedule a Special Event on the Carleton University campus must complete a Special Event Application. The purpose in completing a Special Event Application is to provide pertinent information to the University to allow for an assessment of the event as it relates to life safety on campus. The Special Event Application Forms can be found in the appendix of this Program. If an event is defined as a Special Event as per the bylaw criteria; please fill out the City of Ottawa Special Event Application Form. If the event does not require the City of Ottawa approval as a Special Event; please fill out the EHS Fire and Life Safety Application Form. Please send all completed application forms to Carleton University s Fire Prevention Officer. For all Special Events requiring a City of Ottawa Permit(s), Carleton University requires a completed City of Ottawa Special Event Application Form 14 days prior to the application deadline outlined in the Special Events on Public and Private Property By-law No. 2013-232. This will provide the University with enough time to review the proposed event and the impact it might have on life safety at Carleton University, and request changes to the application as needed. If the event does not require approval from the City of Ottawa, Carleton University will require a completed EHS Fire and Life Safety Application Form30 days in advance of the event. Not meeting these deadlines may impact the organizations ability to hold the event on campus. The more information you can provide in the application form the easier it will be for the Fire Prevention Officer to understand the event parameters and the required fire, life safety and evacuation components needed. 2. Review of Application and Site Assessment As it relates to fire, life safety and evacuation procedures for the special event, Carleton University s Fire Prevention Officer will review the Special Event application and provide recommendations, as needed. This review process is needed to ensure appropriate fire and life safety measures are in place at the time of the event. 3
If the Special Event requires permit(s) from the city, it is the organizations responsibility in ensuring all permits are obtained. It is important to note that Carleton University s Fire Prevention Officer is considered an adjunct member of the City of Ottawa s Special Events Advisory Team (SEAT). Furthermore, the Fire Prevention Officer has been given the authority by the City of Ottawa s Fire Chief to inspect and confirm all events on campus adhere to all fire regulations including requirements under the Fire Protection and Prevention Act. Therefore, unless otherwise indicated, all fire, life safety and evacuation inspections will be completed by Carleton University s Fire Prevention Officer. An example of the inspection to be completed by the Fire Prevention Officer can be found in the appendix of this program. That said, the City of Ottawa has final approval for any Special Event as defined within the bylaw and any event or portion of an event must be approved by the city (with the appropriate permits) before taking place on campus. If the Special Event does not require the approval from the City of Ottawa, the requirement for a fire and life safety inspection prior to the event will be at the discretion of Carleton University s Fire Prevention Officer. For events taking place on campus, please be aware of the following: 1. All Food Services at Carleton University must be coordinated and approved by Carleton University Dining Services with a statement of understanding from them. That said, all food vendors: a) Will be required to pass a Fire & Life Safety pre-event inspection by Carleton University s Fire Prevention Officer. b) Ensure the City of Ottawa vending-food services permit is on-site and available for viewing by the Inspector. c) Ensure all fuel sources are properly installed and secured with an emergency shut off that is readily available to staff d) Ensure an appropriate fire extinguisher is mounted in the food preparation area, or otherwise immediately available, for staff (direct access, fully charged) e) Ensure the vending vehicle is situated in a location that it does not impede an emergency evacuation route or an access route needed by the Ottawa Fire Service. f) Ensure all flammable and combustible materials are kept clear of all ignition sources (i.e., boxes should be removed once the contents have been taken out) 2. Internal combustible engine equipment and vehicles may only be used outside and must adhere to the following conditions: a) Equipment must be stored in an appropriate storage area (i.e., large storage containers) b) A fire extinguisher must be readily available at all times 4
c) The area under equipment must be checked to ensure there are no fluids leaking within the storage area. 3. Generation of a Fire and Life Safety Evacuation Plan A key component in event planning is ensuring an effective evacuation plan is completed prior to the event. Under the City of Ottawa Special Event bylaw there is a requirement of the organization responsible for the event to provide the city with pertinent event information, such as: 1. A site plan and traffic plan 2. An emergency plan 3. A security plan The required Emergency Response Plan will detail procedures to follow in the case of emergencies, including but not limited to, fire, criminal acts, accidents, medical emergencies or extreme weather events. Carleton University is in the best position to address fire and life safety factors as it relates to its buildings, life safety equipment, and occupant behavior during an evacuation. As a result, Carleton University will provide the applicant with the required Special Event evacuation procedures needed for each event. If the special event requires approval from the City of Ottawa, the applicant may add the evacuation procedures into their completed Emergency Response Plan. An Evacuation Procedure must be completed in advance of any special event occurring on campus. If the Special Event does not require the approval from the City, depending on the details surrounding the event, Carleton University may require a fire and life safety evacuation plan to be completed. This requirement will be at the discretion of the Fire Prevention Officer. If an event specific evacuation plan is not required, the event occupants are to use the building specific evacuation procedure already in place on campus. For either situation, Carleton University s Fire Prevention Officer will complete the required evacuation procedures and oversee the required training of staff for each special event. 5
APPENDICES 6
A1. City of Ottawa Application Form 7
A2. EHS Fire and Life Safety Application Form 8
Fire and Life Safety Application for Special Events at Carleton University For all Special Events that do not require approval from the City of Ottawa, please complete this application form and submit 30 days in advance of the event. It will be up to the applicant to secure the event location from the appropriate Carleton University Booking Authority. Submit the completed application form to Carleton University s Fire Prevention Officer: Rick Percival Fire Prevention Officer Carleton University 613.520.2600 x 3611 rick.percival@carleton.ca Name of Event: Location of Event (Building and Room#): GENERAL INFORMATION Type of Event: Trade Show Academic Run/Walk Concert Sport Other (explain): Event Details (please describe the purpose of the event): Event Activities (please describe the activities that will occur at your event): Anticipated Attendance Number: Event Start Date(s): Event End Date (s): Proposed Rain Dates (if applicable): Hours of Operation: Set Up Date and Time: Take Down Date and Time: EVENT SCHEDULE
Contact Person #1 Contact Person #2 Name: Position: Cell Phone #: Name: Position: Cell Phone #: EVENT CONTACT INFORMATION Organization: Telephone: Email: Organization: Telephone: Email: ADDITIONAL INFORMATION Food Services Required: Yes No Note: All Food Services at Carleton University must be coordinated and approved by Carleton University Dining Services with a statement of understanding from them. Are Fireworks Proposed: Yes No If yes, provide details such as: name of Fireworks company, contact name and information, detailed list of materials to be used, site plan, certified technician details. Fireworks use will require an approved Permit(s) from the City of Ottawa. *OPEN FIRES ARE NOT PERMITTED AT CARLETON UNIVERSITY* Temporary Structures to be used: Yes No If yes, identify the type of structure(s), location(s) and dimensions. Please attach a detailed site plan when submitting. Application Submitted by: Signature: Date: Organization: For Carleton University Use ONLY Application for Special Event Approved Not Approved Reviewed by: Date: Signature: 2