Fire Safety

Each year, the owner of a building to which an essential fire safety measure is applicable must submit an Annual Fire Safety Statement for the building to Council.

Annual Fire Safety Statements are issued by or on behalf of the owner of the building. They declare that all fire safety measures on the premises have been maintained to the appropriate standards. They also stipulate that paths of travel to and within the required exits are kept clear of any obstructions to allow a safe exit from the premises in the event of a fire or other emergency.

A fire safety measure is any aspect of construction, piece of equipment or evacuation plans that are required to ensure the safety of people within the building in the event of fire or other emergency.

These measures include fire rated construction, smoke detection and alarm systems, portable fire extinguishers, fire hose reels, fire hydrants, emergency lighting, exit signs, paths of travel to and within the required exit or evacuation plans. Fire safety requirements will vary from building to building.

The owner must ensure that a competent fire safety practitioner inspects each fire safety measure. The choice of person to carry out an assessment or inspection is up to the owner and details of the person must be submitted with the certificate. The person who carries out an assessment must inspect and verify the performance of each fire safety measure being assessed.

Note: All paperwork provided by your service provider is for the owner only and is NOT to be lodged with Council. It is important that records of inspections are kept by the owner.

To ensure owners are providing the fire safety statement on time, in the correct details and reduce the risk of incurring a fine, we provide a reminder service.

Complete all sections on the Annual Fire Safety Statement form and submit it it to us with the administration fee.

An Annual Fire Safety Statement for a building must deal with each essential fire safety measure in the building. It must be submitted within 12 months after the date on which the previous statement or the Final Fire Certificate was given when the building was built, and it must be lodged within 3 months of the date of inspection and assessment.

The statement must be submitted to Council and NSW Fire + Rescue - info@fire.nsw.gov.au.

The owner is responsible to ensure lodgement, regardless as to whether the property is tenanted or vacant. Please consider the following:

• On-the-spot fines can be imposed on the owner for 'Failure to provide an Annual/Supplementary Fire Safety Statement' and range from $1,000 to $4,000
• If a fine is issued, it will not excuse you from the need to submit a Fire Safety Statement and Council may proceed with legal action against you
• 'Failure to Maintain Essential Fire Safety Measures' (which is a separate offence) can also result in a fine. The penalty in this instance range from $3000 to $6000.

For other information on fire safety, including smoke alarms, home evacuation plans, winter fire safety at home and fact sheets, please also refer to the Fire + Rescue NSW website, and for more information on legislation refer to the NSW Planning & Environment website.