The Role of Competent Fire Safety Practitioners in Ensuring Fire Safety in Buildings

Fire is one of the most devastating elements that can partially or fully obliterate buildings. It can even injure people and claim lives, especially if it is not put out right away.

Fortunately, buildings can now maximise materials and systems that can already resist and withstand fire and its associated effects. Some of them can even extinguish a fire. With proper layout and installation of these things, people inside these properties can conveniently vacate once a fire starts, ensuring they can all be saved from potential fire-related injuries.

Several property owners, however, still opt for materials that do not offer fire protection. Hence, policies and standards have been set to ensure that buildings follow fire safety measures and requirements. Adhering to these policies can then be confirmed through inspections.

The Essence of Annual Fire Safety Statements

The fire safety of buildings can be confirmed if they are checked and inspected regularly. Upon successful inspection of properties, they are often issued with fire safety statements to confirm that they have been assessed, inspected, and verified by competent fire safety practitioners. One of the fire safety statements that properties should have is an annual fire safety statement.

Annual fire safety statements are comprised of all the important fire safety measures that are present and applied to buildings. They also confirm that accredited practitioners have inspected the involved properties as well as confirmed that they comply with policies and standards set by various governing bodies.

Property owners should be able to submit the annual fire safety statement of their respective buildings within a year of their previous annual fire safety statement.

Competent Fire Safety Practitioners’ Key Role

Properties should only be inspected by competent fire safety practitioners. These people are qualified to endorse plans and specifications for relevant fire safety systems, provide fire safety alternative solution reports, give exemptions to the current Building Code of Australia for minor works to existing fire safety systems, and carry out the annual fire safety statement assessments of buildings and properties.

Various reforms in building standards and fire safety have led to the development of tighter industry accreditation schemes for competent fire safety practitioners. They also make sure that building owners and building managers will no longer have access to non-compliant products and unqualified and unsafe practices.

As part of the reforms, competent fire safety practitioners should attain their accreditation through an approved industry organisation.

Ensure Your Property is Safe from Fire Risks

There are many ways to make your building safe from fire risks.

For one, your fire doors should work properly. They should also not be propped open. Another thing that can make your building safe is to free your hallways and stairwells of obstructions. Your exit signs must likewise be illuminated and in good condition. And if your fire and life safety equipment is already installed, you must make sure that they are accessible all the time. Even the exits and egress should not be obstructed.

If you need your property to be inspected for fire safety, you can contact us at Key Compliance.