ERP vs FSP: What’s the Difference?

Emergency Response Plans (ERPs) and Fire Safety Plans (FSPs) are often confused. However, their scope, content and regulatory context are not identical. An FSP specifically addresses fire safety, while an ERP generally provides a broader framework for managing multiple types of emergencies.

What Is an Emergency Response Plan (ERP)?

An Emergency Response Plan (ERP) is a structured document designed to help an organization prepare for and organize its response to emergencies that may affect occupants, facilities, operations or the surrounding environment.

Its content should be based on the risks actually present within the organization or building. It may define roles and responsibilities, alert and notification mechanisms, communications, evacuation, shelter-in-place procedures, coordination with emergency services, and procedures for the various scenarios identified through risk assessment.

Depending on the organization and site, these scenarios may include:

• fire or evacuation;
• medical emergencies;
• gas leaks;
• hazardous-material spills;
• power outages or critical system failures;
• flooding;
• severe weather events;
• suspicious packages or bomb threats;
• situations threatening occupant safety;
• other hazards specific to the building or organization.

The ERP therefore provides a broader approach to organizational emergency preparedness.

What Is a Fire Safety Plan (FSP)?

A Fire Safety Plan (FSP) is specifically dedicated to fire prevention, preparedness and the measures to be implemented in the event of a fire.

Unlike the broader use of the term Emergency Response Plan, the Fire Safety Plan operates within a particularly well-defined regulatory framework for fire safety.

In Quebec, Chapter VIII — Building of the Safety Code incorporates the National Fire Code of Canada 2020, as amended for Quebec (NFC 2020).

The relevant amendments to Chapter VIII came into force on April 17, 2025.

Section 2.8 of the NFC 2020 contains the principal provisions addressing emergency measures and Fire Safety Plans.

ERP vs FSP: Quick Comparison

Is the FSP Part of the ERP?

This is where the distinction becomes particularly important.

From a document-management and organizational perspective, an organization may choose to create a master ERP in which the fire safety component is integrated.

This approach can make it possible to consolidate emergency roles, contact information, building information and other shared resources, rather than maintaining multiple completely independent documents.

However, this does not mean that the FSP ceases to exist as a regulatory component where a Fire Safety Plan is required.

In other words, the expression “FSP ⊂ ERP” can be useful for illustrating an integrated documentation architecture, but it should not be interpreted as a universal regulatory hierarchy.

What Does the NFC Require in a Fire Safety Plan?

The NFC 2020 addresses Fire Safety Plans primarily in Section 2.8 — Emergency Measures.

Article 2.8.1.1 identifies the buildings, parts of buildings and areas to which the emergency-measures provisions apply.

Where a Fire Safety Plan is required, Subsection 2.8.2 establishes requirements relating to its preparation and content.

Depending on the provisions applicable to the building or facility, the FSP addresses matters such as:

• sounding the fire alarm;
• notifying the fire department;
• instructions for occupants;
• occupant evacuation;
• special provisions for persons requiring assistance;
• responsibilities of designated supervisory staff;
• fire emergency systems and equipment;
• fire drills;
• control of fire hazards;
• inspection and maintenance of facilities provided for occupant safety.

The NFC also requires the Fire Safety Plan to be reviewed at intervals not greater than 12 months to ensure that it reflects changes in the use and other characteristics of the building.

Does Every Building Need a Fire Safety Plan?

Care should be taken with the statement that “every building requires an FSP.”

Section 2.8 of the NFC establishes its own field of application and identifies the buildings, occupancies and situations for which emergency measures in case of fire must be provided.

The requirements applicable to a particular building must therefore be determined based on factors such as its occupancy, characteristics, activities and any other applicable regulatory provisions.

Does Every Building Need an Emergency Response Plan?

Here again, it is important to distinguish risk-management best practice from a uniform regulatory requirement.

There is no single document universally called an “ERP” that is imposed in exactly the same form on every organization in Quebec.

Emergency-preparedness obligations may nevertheless arise from several legislative and regulatory frameworks, including occupational health and safety, fire safety, environmental requirements and sector-specific regulations.

For example, Quebec's Regulation respecting occupational health and safety (ROHS) contains requirements relating to emergency evacuation planning and evacuation and rescue drills in establishments.

From a risk-management perspective, organizations exposed to multiple emergency scenarios therefore benefit from consolidating and structuring those measures within a comprehensive ERP.

Why Should a Risk Assessment Come Before Choosing the Plans?

The question should not simply be: “Do we need an ERP or an FSP?”

A more robust approach begins by understanding the building, operations, occupants, systems, applicable requirements and actual hazards.

This assessment can then be used to determine the appropriate documentation architecture.

When Does a Comprehensive ERP Become Particularly Relevant?

The greater the number of hazards, stakeholders and operational complexities within an organization, the more useful a multi-hazard emergency framework becomes.

This is particularly relevant for:

• office towers and large commercial buildings;
• multi-tenant properties;
• industrial sites;
• warehouses and logistics centres;
• health-care facilities;
• educational institutions;
• facilities involving hazardous materials;
• organizations operating critical infrastructure;
• sites where several teams must coordinate their response.

In these environments, limiting emergency preparedness solely to fire procedures can leave other significant scenarios without a clear operational response structure.

Can an ERP and FSP Share the Same Information?

Yes. In fact, this is one of the main advantages of a well-designed documentation architecture.

Several types of information may be shared between the two plans:

• building description;
• contact information for responsible personnel;
• emergency-team organization;
• evacuation routes and plans;
• assembly areas;
• emergency-service contact information;
• persons requiring assistance;
• certain fire and life-safety systems and equipment.

Problems arise when this information is manually duplicated across multiple independent files.

A change in a responsible person, telephone number, tenant or building configuration may then have to be updated in several documents. If one document is overlooked, conflicting versions can begin to circulate.

Beyond the ERP and FSP

Depending on the organization, Emergency Response Plans and Fire Safety Plans may form part of a much broader documentation framework.

CORO supports several complementary document families:

How CORO Structures ERPs and FSPs

In a traditional documentation model, information shared between an ERP and FSP is often duplicated across multiple Word documents, PDFs, spreadsheets and independent folders.

CORO instead uses a structured-data and interconnected-document approach.

Information relating to the building, client, responsible personnel, emergency teams, procedures and other components of a mandate can be centralized and reused across the relevant documents.

This approach facilitates document production while also helping maintain consistency and update information throughout the lifecycle of the building and the mandate.

So, ERP or FSP?

For many organizations, the answer will not be “one or the other.”

The FSP addresses specific fire-safety requirements and needs. The ERP extends emergency preparedness to other scenarios relevant to the organization.

The most effective approach is therefore to identify the applicable requirements, assess the actual risks and build a documentation architecture in which each plan has a clearly defined purpose.