Fire prevention should be addressed before a fire, safety inspection, insurance issue, or emergency forces the association to react.
The HOA Fire Safety and Fire Prevention Policy Template gives boards a comprehensive starting point for establishing community-wide fire-safety standards and documenting the association’s expectations for owners, residents, tenants, guests, vendors, and contractors.
The policy is designed to promote the safety of residents, buildings, and common areas by reducing foreseeable fire hazards while recognizing that fire safety is a shared responsibility between the association and the people living and working within the community.
Topics Covered
This 12-page sample policy includes provisions addressing:
- Fire lanes and emergency vehicle access
- Hallways, stairwells, walkways, exits, and corridors
- Combustible and hazardous materials
- Garages and storage areas
- Balconies, patios, decks, and exclusive-use areas
- Barbecues, grills, fire pits, patio heaters, and open flames
- Smoking materials and ignition sources
- Electrical safety
- Lithium-ion batteries
- E-bikes, e-scooters, portable power stations, and similar devices
- Electric vehicle charging equipment
- Landscaping, vegetation, defensible space, and fuel reduction
- Fireworks
- Fire extinguishers, sprinklers, alarms, fire doors, hydrants, and other life-safety equipment
- Association inspection, testing, maintenance, and recordkeeping
- Owner-maintained smoke alarms and other safety devices
- Reporting fire hazards
- Emergency procedures
- Residents who may require evacuation assistance
- Owner alterations that affect fire-safety systems
- Contractor and vendor activities, including hot work
- Periodic fire-safety reviews
- Owner and resident cooperation
- Violations and enforcement
- Recovery of costs caused by owners or residents
- Insurance considerations
- Board authority and policy amendments
The policy also includes a detailed Annual Fire Safety Review framework covering emergency access, fire extinguishers, sprinkler systems, alarms, emergency lighting, fire doors, electrical and mechanical rooms, garages, landscaping, battery-charging areas, unresolved hazards, and recommendations from inspectors, insurers, or governmental authorities.
Designed to Be Customized
Every association is different. A condominium project with enclosed corridors, underground parking, shared electrical systems, and sprinklers may face very different risks than a detached-home community located in a high fire-hazard area.
For that reason, the template includes an implementation note recommending that associations customize the policy based upon their CC&Rs, bylaws, existing operating rules, insurance requirements, local fire codes, and recommendations from the applicable fire authority or qualified fire-safety professional.
Ideal for:
HOA boards, condominium associations, community managers, board policy committees, and associations reviewing or updating their fire-safety procedures.
Important: This is a sample educational template and should be customized for the particular association before adoption. It is not legal advice.
