Preparing for 2026: Off-Shift Fire Drills and the Ontario Fire Code
Quarterly fire drills in Ontario high-rise buildings are often misunderstood. They are not about sounding alarms, moving residents, or creating disruption. Their purpose is far more practical, and far more important.
Under the Ontario Fire Code, every high-rise building owner is required to conduct a fire drill every 90 days. These quarterly drills are designed to ensure that supervisory staff, the people relied upon in the approved fire safety plan, have regular, structured opportunities to refresh their roles and responsibilities, test their emergency response, and confirm they are ready to act when it matters.
Each drill must be documented. That documentation is not optional. Building owners are required to retain evidence showing when the drill occurred, who participated, what was reviewed, how staff performed, and whether any gaps or lessons were identified. In other words, these drills are meant to be thoughtful, measured, and intentional.
Importantly, quarterly fire drills do not involve activating alarms or engaging residents. They focus exclusively on supervisory staff: security, building operators and management, and others with defined duties under the fire safety plan. These are the individuals who are expected to make critical decisions in the first moments of an emergency.
Maria Mourtzis, Senior Property Manager with Forest Hill Residential, leads a team of site staff at 1 Forest Hill, a high-rise building in the heart of downtown Toronto.
Rather than limiting drills to regular business hours, Maria ensured that quarterly fire drills were conducted during both daytime and off-shift hours. Evening, overnight, and weekend staff, including guards and operational personnel who are often the first on scene during an incident, were intentionally included. This approach reflects a clear understanding of how buildings actually operate, not just how they look on paper.
This has been widely recognized as a best practice in fire and life safety for high-rise buildings in Ontario. It supports staff confidence, reinforces accountability, and ensures the corporation (the Owner) has defensible documentation that reflects real operational readiness - on every shift.
Effective January 1, 2026, the Ontario Fire Code has evolved to formally capture what many experienced practitioners have long known: fires are more likely to occur during off-shift hours. As a result, quarterly drill requirements must now include drills conducted outside of standard daytime operations. The intent is clear - preparedness must reflect reality.
Maria’s approach anticipated this shift well in advance. By proactively running off-shift drills, she not only supported her staff but also positioned the corporation ahead of regulatory expectations.
National Life Safety Group has had the privilege of leading these quarterly fire drills alongside Maria for the past four years. Our role has been to facilitate structured, compliant, and practical exercises that align with the building’s approved fire safety plan, while also creating space for staff to ask questions, test assumptions, and identify improvement opportunities.
This is what effective fire safety compliance looks like. It’s collaborative. It’s documented. And it’s focused on people, not paperwork.
Maria’s commitment is a strong example of leadership in action, and a reminder that when building owners and facilities professionals invest in their teams, everyone is safer because of it.
If you would like to know more about Fire Code requirements for high-rise buildings, or would like to inquire about National Life Safety Group’s accreditted training programs for Supervisory Staff of high-rise buildings, I encourage you to reach out. Check out our training video HERE. www.nationallifesafetygroup.ca