These new regulations, have now been introduced in to law under article 24 of the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 (Fire Safety Order), following the recommendations from the Grenfell Tower Phase 1 Report. These regulations are aimed at high rise multi-occupied buildings (over 18m or at least 7 storeys) and in the case of certain regulations, buildings over 11m. The regulations require the Responsible Persons to provide additional fire safety measures and in all multi-occupied residential buildings, these new regulations will require the Responsible Persons to provide residents with fire safety instructions and information on the importance of fire doors.
Below is a breakdown of the main regulations concerning property owners and freeholders for specific buildings.
Information Boxes
Install and maintain a secure Property Information Box (PIB) on site. This box must contain the name and contact details of the building’s Responsible Person and hard copies of the building floor plans.
Building Plans
Up-to-date electronic building floor plans to their local Fire and Rescue Service. Also have a hard copy of these plans, alongside a single page building plan which identifies key firefighting equipment, in your PIB.
External Wall Systems
Information about the design and materials of a high-rise building’s external wall system, inform the Fire and Rescue Service of any material changes to these walls, and to provide information in relation to the level of risk that the design and materials of the external wall structure gives rise to, and then any qualifying steps taken.
Lifts and other Key Fire-Fighting Equipment
Monthly checks on the operational status of lifts, that are intended for use by firefighters and any other key pieces of firefighting equipment. This regulation also covers any evacuation lifts in their building, and they will be required to report any defective equipment to their local Fire and Rescue Service as soon as possible after discovery (if the fault cannot be corrected within 24 hours), and to record the outcome of checks and make them available to residents.
Wayfinding Signage
To install signage visible in low light or smoky conditions that identifies flat and floor numbers in the stairwells of relevant buildings.
In addition to these regulations and including buildings over 11m in height, the Responsible Person will also be required to:
Fire Doors
- Undertake annual checks of flat entrance doors.
- Undertake quarterly checks of all fire doors in the common parts.
In any multi-occupied residential buildings with 2 or more sets of domestic premises, Responsible Persons will be required to:
Fire Safety Instructions:
- Provide relevant fire safety instructions to their residents, this includes instructions on how to report a fire and any other instruction a resident must do once a fire has been detected, based on the evacuation strategy for the building.
Fire Door Information:
- Provide residents with information relating to the importance of fire doors in fire safety.
These regulations under The Fire Safety (England) Regulations apply in England only.
These regulations became law on the 7th of July 2022, and became enforceable from January 2023.
At FRA Compliance, we recognise that understanding fire safety regulations can be challenging and intimidating, which is why we aim to make the process straightforward for you.
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