Build a Fire, Smoke, Carbon Monoxide, and Egress Checklist

A. Finished-Project Specification

Scope: one project-specific life-safety checklist, organized by floor and room, covering smoke alarms, carbon-monoxide alarms, emergency escape and rescue openings, egress paths, fire separation, penetration protection, and address requirements, with every entry sourced to an approved document or a written authority response.

B. Checklist Section Schedule (Component Schedule)

Section	Quantity	Source Type	Required Content	Verification / Purpose
Floor-by-Floor Life-Safety Plan	1 per story	Derived from approved plans	Room names, exits, sleeping rooms, alarms, stairs, fire separations	Anchors every checklist row to a plan location
Smoke Alarms	1 row per alarm	Approved documents / adopted code	Location, power source, backup, interconnection, monitoring	Matched to approved plan and governing requirement
Carbon Monoxide Alarms	1 row per alarm	Approved documents / adopted code	Location, project trigger, power, backup, interconnection	Matched to approved plan and project scope
Emergency Escape and Rescue Openings	1 row per opening	Approved documents / product data	Opening tag, clear-opening basis, sill height, operation, well, ladder, discharge	Verified against controlling jurisdictional method
Egress Doors and Paths	1 row per path	Approved documents	Door swing, locks, latches, landings, halls, stairs, exterior path	Confirmed continuous to a safe exterior location
Fire Separation	1 row per boundary	Approved documents / listed system	Wall, ceiling, floor, membrane, penetration, joint, door, duct, damper	Matched to an approved or listed assembly
Fire Blocking and Draft Stopping	1 row per location	Approved documents	Location, material, installation condition, inspection stage	Visible for inspection before concealment
Addressing and Fire-Department Access	1 row per item	Approved documents / adopted code	Address numbers, guards, handrails, lighting, hydrant or fire-access conditions	Matched to jurisdiction's addressing requirement
Final Test and Operation Log	1 per room / item	Working document	Test date, method, result, deficiency, correction, reinspection	Populated during the final room-by-room check

C. Resource Takeoff

• Plan data: the current approved floor plans, life-safety notes, electrical plans, fire details, and door schedules for the project.
• Requirement data: the adopted alarm, egress, and fire-separation requirements and local amendments recorded in the Project 01 binder.
• Field allowance: at least one completed field measurement session covering every sleeping room, egress path, and fire-separation boundary in the project.
• Photographic record: photographs of every fire-blocking, rated-assembly, penetration, and alarm rough-in location before concealment.

D. Acceptance Standards

Check	Standard
Plan sourcing	Every checklist row references a specific approved plan sheet, detail, or written authority response
Alarm completeness	Every sleeping room, hallway, and story location required by the approved documents and adopted code has a recorded smoke and, where triggered, carbon-monoxide alarm entry
Egress opening verification	Every sleeping-room emergency escape and rescue opening has a recorded clear-opening basis, sill height, and operation check using the controlling jurisdictional method
Egress path continuity	Every required egress path is traced continuously from room to exterior safe location without an unresolved gap
Fire-separation sourcing	Every fire-separation and penetration-protection entry is matched to an approved or listed assembly, not a field-created assumption
Photographic completeness	Every concealed fire-blocking, rated-assembly, and alarm rough-in location has a corresponding dated photograph
Final test completion	Every room and item has a recorded final test result, with deficiencies assigned, corrected, and reverified

E. Preparation — Confirm Requirements and Build the Life-Safety Plan

1. Identify the adopted residential, building, fire, existing-building, and alarm requirements and local amendments applicable to the project. Confirm these directly against the Project 01 authority register rather than from memory.
2. Obtain approved floor plans, life-safety notes, electrical plans, fire details, door schedules, and revisions. Confirm the plan set matches the currently controlling permit revision.
3. Identify occupancy, sleeping rooms, stories, basements, attached garages, fuel-burning equipment, and alteration areas affecting life safety. Record these on the Project and Plan Record above.
4. Create a floor-by-floor life-safety plan with room names, exits, sleeping rooms, alarms, stairs, and fire separations. Sketch every room and boundary before filling in individual checklist rows.
5. Identify smoke alarm locations from approved plans and governing requirements. Mark each required location on the life-safety plan and record its checklist row.

F. Identify Alarm Requirements

1. Identify carbon-monoxide alarm locations and project triggers from approved requirements. Record the specific project condition that triggers each required location.
2. Identify power, battery backup, interconnection, monitoring, accessibility, and replacement-product requirements. Record these against the manufacturer instructions for the installed product.
3. Do not relocate or omit alarms based on convenience without approved clarification. Record any requested relocation as a formal clarification question before proceeding.
4. Identify existing alarms that must be upgraded because of the project scope. Compare existing alarm locations and types against the current project's triggered requirements.

G. Identify Egress Openings and Paths

1. Identify sleeping-room emergency escape and rescue openings and applicable existing-building exceptions if formally approved. Confirm any claimed exception in writing before relying on it.
2. Record opening tag, clear opening basis, sill, operation, security device, well, ladder, and exterior discharge conditions from approved documents. Use the actual installed product's rated clear-opening dimensions, not a nominal size.
3. Do not certify egress dimensions without using the controlling jurisdictional method and actual approved product data. Stop and request clarification where the method or product data is unclear.
4. Identify required egress door, landings, halls, stairs, and exterior path to a safe location. Trace each path continuously on the life-safety plan.
5. Identify door swing, locks, latches, security bars, access control, and emergency operation concerns. Record any hardware that could obstruct emergency operation.

H. Identify Fire Separation and Penetration Protection

1. Identify fire separation between dwelling and garage, units, property lines, utility rooms, shafts, chases, soffits, and other protected areas. Mark each boundary on the life-safety plan.
2. Identify required wall, ceiling, floor, membrane, penetration, joint, door, duct, damper, and opening protection. Record the approved assembly reference for each.
3. Use listed or approved assemblies and systems rather than field-created layer assumptions. Do not substitute an unlisted material or method.
4. Identify fire blocking, draft stopping, concealed-space protection, and inspection stages. Record the required inspection stage for each location.
5. Identify penetrations by plumbing, electrical, HVAC, gas, communications, structure, cabinets, and accessories. Record each penetration's location and trade.
6. Assign approved firestop or penetration treatment only from the design or listed system. Do not select a generic sealant or filler without a matching listed system reference.
7. Identify garage doors, self-closing provisions where required, thresholds, glazing, ducts, and penetrations. Record each condition against the approved detail.

I. Coordinate, Photograph, and Test

1. Identify guards, handrails, lighting, address numbers, firefighter access, hydrant, or fire-department conditions applicable to the project. Record each against the adopted addressing and access requirement.
2. Identify sprinkler, alarm, fire-flow, water-supply, or fire-department review when required. Confirm whether a separate fire-department submittal or review applies.
3. Coordinate alarm circuit, mechanical fuel equipment, fire assemblies, insulation, drywall, doors, and finishes. Confirm no scheduled trade will conceal a life-safety item before its required inspection.
4. Create inspection checkpoints before framing concealment, insulation, drywall, device trim, and final. Assign each checkpoint to the corresponding stage on the project schedule.
5. Photograph fire blocking, rated assemblies, penetrations, and alarm rough-ins before concealment. Label each photograph with location, date, and checklist row reference.
6. Create a room-by-room final test and operation checklist. List every room and life-safety item requiring a final check.
7. Test alarms only through manufacturer and authority-approved procedures. Record the test method and result for each alarm.
8. Verify exits and emergency openings operate without prohibited keys, tools, special knowledge, or obstruction as required. Record the operation check result for each door and opening.
9. Verify required labels, instructions, certificates, and test records. Confirm these are present and legible for each installed product.
10. Record deficiencies, responsible trade, correction, reinspection, and approval. Assign every failed item to a responsible party with a target date.
11. Archive the completed checklist, product data, listed systems, photographs, tests, and inspection records. Store the archived checklist where it remains available to Project 14, Project 16, and the Chapter 20 capstone.