Maintenance of Fire Safety Installations. What is involved?
In 2008 the Queensland Government introduced the Building Fire Safety Regulation, aiming to reduce the number of fire related incidents that occur in Australia each year.
This regulation affects owners, occupiers or business owners who have a legal obligation to ensure the safety of persons that occupy their premises.
The fire safety regulation sets out a number of compliance points and the maintenance of fire safety installations is one of them.
Here, Seymour Consultants explain what is involved with ensuring the maintenance of your fire safety installations remains compliant.
Exit Signs/Emergency Lighting
You must check the exit signs/emergency lighting is undamaged and be able to produce a current maintenance record for exit signs/emergency lighting upon request.
Fire Extinguishers
All fire extinguishers need to be correctly maintained and a current maintenance record for the fire extinguishers must be able to be produced when requested.
Fire Hose Reels
You must ensure the fire hose reels are correctly maintained and if requested, a current maintenance record must be made available.
Fire Detection and Alarm System
You are required to check the fire detection and alarm system is operating with no isolations and no indications of faults.
You must produce a current maintenance record for the fire detection and alarm system upon request.
You must ensure that there is adequate signage at manual call points to “break glass and ring 000” if the fire detection and alarm system is not connected to QFES monitoring. This alerts persons that activating the alarm will sound the alarm in the building but not alert the fire service, they will need to ring 000.
You must ensure the number of unwanted or false alarms are below the prescribed average.
For class 2 accommodation buildings, you need to ensure smoke alarms are installed in the sole occupancy units.
Evacuation System
You must ensure the evacuation system is in auto mode with no zones showing as isolated or in fault.
Current maintenance records for evacuation system must be produced upon request.
Sprinkler System
You must ensure the sprinkler booster installation remains undamaged.
You must produce upon request, a current maintenance record for the sprinkler system.
On-site Hydrant System
The on-site hydrant booster installation must remain undamaged at all times.
You must ensure the fire hydrant remains undamaged at all times.
A current maintenance record for the on-site fire hydrants must be made available upon request.
Hydrant/Sprinkler Pumpsets
The hydrant/sprinkler pumpsets are required to be correctly maintained.
The hydrant/sprinkler current maintenance record must be produced when requested.
Stairwell Pressurisation
Current maintenance records for stairwell pressurisation must be made available upon request.
Smoke and Heat Ventilation Systems
Current maintenance records for smoke and heat ventilation systems must be made available upon request.
Standby Power Supply
Current maintenance records for standby power supply must be made available upon request.
Emergency Lift – Fire Service Control
You must ensure an operational test of the Fire Services Control has been conducted.
Critical Defects
You must action a critical defect notice within one month of receiving it.
You must put interim measures in place if you have received a critical defect notice.
As you can see the laws associated with fire safety can become onerous and confusing. Maintenance needs to be carried out by an appropriately qualified person and log books are required to record these monthly inspections.
At Seymour Consultants we provide our clients with simple, easy to understand explanations regarding the legislation to ensure we achieve an optimal outcome.
Call Seymour Consultants on 07 5573 4011. Our extensive range of fire safety services are designed to ensure that your property or workplace achieves a 100% fire compliancy.