Fire Risk Classification

This activity consists of making a list of fire risks according to the use of buildings consigned for the evaluation process. This analysis was created by software supplied by the Ministry of Public Safety operating according to pre-established criteria. These criteria are partially garnered by the evaluation process: the building's primary use, the number of floors, the number of housing units or rooms, the air on the ground, the type of building (attached or detached).

According to these criteria, 80% of the risk analysis was carried out automatically, the other 20% required visits to the properties on behalf of the fire fighters to validate the properties the software had selected, and to reclassify certain risks whose assessment had changed since the last visit of the appraiser.

At the time of this project, other important points could cause a variance with the classification of certain risks, such as: high risk usage, the potential number of occupants and their evacuation speed, importance of the building within the community, the presence of dangerous materials and the vulnerability to a possibility of fire. This analysis was made with thoroughness and in the most precise manner possible. We also take into account that this project will be one with constant changes, as each year the risks will need to be adjusted.

Most real estate within the RMC of Haute-Gaspésie is, on average, 45 to 50 years old and mainly composed of low-risk buildings, of which 47% are located in the town of Sainte-Anne-des-Monts. 67% of the high and very high risk areas are found within the towns of Sainte-Anne-des-Monts and Cap-Chat.

One of the most developed sectors in our RMC is the tourist sector, where there are a great number of hotels, motels, inns and lodgings. As a result, we do not find that our territory is a high-risk generator of dangerous materials other than those which are transported on our roads, generally flammable liquids and liquefied petroleum gas.

Of course, the risk which requires a greater analysis for our fire protection organizations is the hospital located at Sainte-Anne-des-Monts. There are also homes for semi-and-non autonomous elderly residents, which constitute very considerable risks. These residences are usually located in private residential areas than in public health facilities.


The table below presents the classification of fire risks.

Weak risks
		Very small buildings with small space		Detached one-family residences, of 1 or 2 mobile residences, country cottages, houses, houses with rooms of less than 5 people
		Residential buildings, of up to 2 residences, of 1 or 2 floors, detached		Hangars, garages
Average risks
		Buildings of more then 3 floors and whose surface on the ground is more then 600 m2		Attached one-family residences of 2 or 3 levels
				Buildings of 8 residences or less, rooms (5 to 9 rooms)
				Industrial establishments of the Group F, 3rd division (workshops, warehouses, sale-rooms, etc)
High risks
		Buildings whose surface on the ground is of more than 600 m2		Commercial establishments
		Buildings of  4 to 6 floors		Businesses establishments
		Places where the occupants are normally ready to evacuate		Buildings of 9 residences or more, houses with 10 rooms or more, motels
		Places without quantities of significant dangerous matters		Industrial plants of the group F, division 2 (workshop, service station) agricultural building
Very high risks
		Buildings of more than 6 floors,  presenting a hign risk of conflagration		Businesses establishments, buildings located in old places
		Places where occupants are unable to evacuate themselves		Hospitals, welcome centres, supervised residences, detention establishment
		Places difficult for evacuation : too many occupants		Shopping centres of 45 stores and more, hotels, schools, nurseries, churches
		Places where dangerous matters could be stored		Industrial establishments of the Groupe F, division 1 (dangerous matters wharehouse, paint industry, chemical plants, flour milling, etc.)
		Places where the fire damages can affect the community life.		Water plants treatment, harbours