Hi, I have been meaning to start writing a blog on fire safety (which is a passion of mine) for such a long time and finally its here, I could not have imagined how hard it was to start putting your thoughts down but once I got started I realised just how much information needs to get out, yes I know it can be a pretty dry subject but…. your family and friends are so important and I know from years of being in the fire prevention business just how important knowing and adhering to legislation is so here goes….
First and foremost fire safety is an important responsibility for anyone managing a business or facility. An adequate fire protection solution must be in place to ensure the safety of buildings or site occupants; you should also ensure that sufficient fire safety training is provided to those occupants.
Fire protection equipment is your insurance for continued business, make sure equipment is routinely serviced and kept in proper working order, ready for if/when you need it.
Over the past year or two, amendments have been introduced to both legislation and to Australian Standards which relate to fire safety and fire protection systems and equipment. We all as business owners have responsibility to keep up to date with these changes to ensure compliancy.
Lets start with routine maintenance and servicing, there are various state-based fire safety regulations throughout Australia. E.g. in New South Wales, property owners and managers now must be aware of the NSW Environmental Planning & Assessment Regulations (2000). This regulation mandates that all essential fire safety measures must be maintained and also stipulates that a building’s owner or their agent must prepare an Annual Fire Safety Statement (AFSS) and submit to the relevant governing authority. This AFSS certifies that a building’s fire safety measures have been assessed by a qualified person and found capable of performing as intended to their original design standard.
In November 2012 the newly revised edition of the Australian Standard AS1851 had a title change to AS1851-2012 ‘Routine Service of Fire Protection Systems and Equipment’. Australian Standard AS1851-2012 provides routine servicing activities for the majority of fire protection systems and equipment, which includes inspection, testing, preventative maintenance and survey activities and helps to ensure that the systems and equipment are in proper working order.
In the latest revision to AS1851-2012 whilst many of the core elements of AS1851 remain the same, there have been some welcome clarifications, updates and improvements. E.g. there is now a requirement for ‘baseline data’ to be provided for any fire protection systems and equipment installed. This welcome addition provides a benchmark for subsequent servicing activities allowing results to be compared.
We should all be aware that there is now a much greater emphasis on the records and evidence compliancy by business owners.
Next week I will focus on Fire Safety Training…. Until then have a great and safe week