| Fire Risk Assessment | Fire Strategy | |
|---|---|---|
| Purpose | Assess risk in an occupied building and list actions. | Set out how the building achieves fire safety, by design and management. |
| When | Regularly, and whenever circumstances change: a change of use, new management, a new occupier, department or way of working, building work, or a fire or near miss. | At design, refurbishment or change of use, or where the documentation is missing. |
| Legal basis | Required by the Fire Safety Order for non-domestic premises and the common parts of residential buildings. | Not required by the Fire Safety Order. Usually produced to show how a design meets the fire safety requirements of the Building Regulations. |
| Output | Report and prioritised action plan. | Strategy report for owners, designers and regulators. |
Which do I need?
- You occupy or manage a building and have no current assessment: you need a Fire Risk Assessment.
- New management, a new occupier or a new department: your existing assessment may no longer fit. New people, equipment, processes and working hours can change the risks and who is at risk, so the assessment needs reviewing and updating, and the new Responsible Person should receive the old records.
- You are designing, converting or altering a building: you need a Fire Strategy. For new buildings, extensions and some changes of use, Regulation 38 of the Building Regulations also requires the person doing the work to give the Responsible Person fire safety information about the design and construction of the building and its fire safety equipment, and the strategy is a natural way to provide it.
- The building exists but the fire strategy documents are missing or out of date: a retrospective Fire Strategy records how the building is meant to work, which also helps the assessor.
- You are developing a residential building of 18 metres or seven storeys or more with two or more dwellings, in England: the planning application needs a fire statement, which is a shorter document about fire safety as it relates to planning, such as site layout and fire engine access. It does not replace a fire strategy. Take advice early.
Do I need both?
Often, yes. A strategy documents the intended design and management. An assessment checks how the building performs in practice. Each supports the other.
Talk to a competent specialist
Tell us about your building and we will explain what you need and what it involves.