The Free Fire Safety Walk-Around: A Checklist for Self-Managed Condo Boards

Self-managed boards get told constantly that fire code compliance means hiring someone. That's true for fire alarm testing, sprinkler inspections, and anything involving CAN/ULC standards. But a good chunk of what actually gets flagged during a fire department inspection is stuff any director can spot on a Saturday morning walk through the building. A 10-unit condo doesn't need a consultant's budget to catch a wedged fire door or a missing CO alarm. It needs someone willing to walk the halls and look.

Here's what to check, room by room.

Carbon Monoxide Alarms

As of January 1, 2026, Ontario expanded where CO alarms are legally required, and the changes apply directly to condos. If your building has any unit with a fuel-burning appliance, a fireplace, or an attached garage, you now need alarms in more places than before.

Walk your common areas and check for:

• A CO alarm on every storey of the building, not just floors with bedrooms. This includes basements and mechanical floors that previously had no alarm requirement at all.

• Alarms in any unit or public corridor that sits above, below, or beside a service room with fuel-burning equipment, or that's heated by air from a furnace located elsewhere in the building. Toronto's fire safety guidance lays this out clearly if you want to double check your specific setup.

• Any alarm past its replacement date. Most CO alarms are rated for 5 to 10 years, and the date is usually printed right on the unit.

If your building has an underground garage, this matters even more. Units and hallways that share a wall, floor, or ceiling with the garage need their own alarms now, separate from anything already installed near sleeping areas.

This is not optional, and it's not a maybe. Fines for non-compliance can reach into the hundreds of thousands of dollars for a corporation, so treat the walk-around as cheap insurance against a very expensive letter from the fire department.

Exit Doors and Closers

Every fire door in your building, meaning unit entry doors, stairwell doors, and doors to garbage or laundry rooms, is supposed to close and latch on its own every time someone uses it. That's not a design preference. It's how the fire separation actually works during a fire. Since unit entry doors are common elements, the corporation is responsible for having them repaired.

Walk every stairwell and corridor and check for:

• Doors being held open with a wedge, chair, or other object. This is one of the most common fire code issues and is usually easy to fix.

• Door closers that have been removed or disconnected, often because residents found the door too heavy or wanted it to stay open.

• Doors that don't fully latch when they swing shut. A door that closes but doesn't catch is functionally the same as a door propped open.

• Locks or hardware that would slow someone down trying to get out. Egress hardware needs to let a person leave quickly, even in the dark, without a key.

Mechanical Room Clearance

Boiler rooms, electrical rooms, and furnace rooms

need clear space around the equipment. This one gets missed constantly because these rooms

double as storage in smaller buildings.

Check for:

• Boxes, paint cans, cleaning supplies, or anything combustible stored inside or right next to mechanical equipment.

• Blocked access to shut-off valves or electrical panels.

• Clutter under stairwells or in exit stairs, which is a violation on its own regardless of what room it's in.

A mechanical room packed with storage is one of the most common findings fire inspectors flag, and it's also one of the fastest to fix. Move the boxes, and you've closed the gap.

Put It on the Calendar

A simple walk-through every few months can help catch issues before an inspection does. Keep a dated record of what you found and what was corrected. If you come across something more serious, such as an outdated fire alarm panel or a damaged fire door, bring in a qualified contractor. 

Read also: Don't Bug Me!: Creepy-Crawlies in Your Condominium / Strata, which rounds out your walk-through checklist with another common issue worth watching for.