Annual fire safety paperwork in plain English

If you own a commercial, industrial or apartment building in NSW, or sit on a strata committee, fire safety paperwork will land on your desk sooner or later. It can look daunting. The idea behind it is simple enough.

This is a general overview only. It is not legal advice, and it doesn’t set out the process step by step, because the detail depends on your building.

The basic idea

Many buildings in NSW have fire safety measures built into them. These are the things put there to warn people, help them get out, and slow or control a fire. Alarms, exit signs, emergency lighting, extinguishers, hose reels, hydrants, sprinklers and fire doors are common examples.

Those measures are no use if they don’t work on the day. So for many buildings they have to be checked on a regular cycle, and the result has to be documented. That documentation is what people usually mean when they talk about the annual fire safety paperwork. In NSW the document itself is called an annual fire safety statement, and you will often see it shortened to AFSS.

Who is responsible

The building owner is. In a strata building, the responsibility usually sits with the owners corporation, often acting through a strata manager.

Owners commonly engage a managing agent, a strata manager and contractors to do the work. It remains the owner’s job to make sure it gets done.

Tenants are in a different position, but a lease can make a tenant responsible for certain things. If you are a tenant, check your lease and ask the owner or agent.

Why the detail depends on the building

No two buildings have quite the same list of fire safety measures. It depends on things like the building’s age, its size, how it is used and how it was approved. Which measures apply, what each one is checked against, who is allowed to do the checking, and what is submitted to whom all depend on the building.

For that reason, be wary of rules of thumb, including ones borrowed from a neighbour or from another building’s paperwork. The NSW Government website is the authoritative source for what is required and how the process works.

What to keep on file

Good records make every cycle easier than the last. Whatever your building’s requirements turn out to be, it helps to keep these together in one place:

• the list of fire safety measures that applies to your building
• copies of each statement or certificate you have submitted or received, with dates
• service and inspection reports from your contractors
• a list of defects found, what was done about each one, and when
• quotes, invoices and completion notes for repairs
• names and contact details of the people who have done the checks and the repairs
• any letters or notices from council or Fire and Rescue NSW
• plans and approval documents for the building and any later alterations

Keep paper and digital copies if you can, and make sure more than one person knows where they are. Records have a way of vanishing when a strata manager changes or a building is sold.

Where a fire contractor fits in

A fire contractor does the hands-on part. That means routine servicing of the equipment, reporting on its condition, flagging defects and carrying out repairs.

Depending on the measure, there are rules about who is allowed to carry out a check and sign it off. Ask anyone you engage what they can and can’t do for your building. Fire Protection Association Australia is the industry body and a useful place to learn more about who does what.

A good working arrangement looks like this:

• the contractor knows which measures apply to your building
• servicing is scheduled ahead, not squeezed in at the last minute
• defects are reported clearly, with a plain explanation of what needs doing
• you get copies of the records every time

The contractor supports you in meeting your obligations. The obligations stay yours.

V&H Fire Group can help building owners between the Central Coast and Newcastle with fire safety compliance and the maintenance that sits behind it. Call Byron on 0483 371 134 to talk through your building.

In an emergency, get out and call Triple Zero (000). This site is general information, not advice for your building. For what applies to your premises, talk to us on site.