The New Fire Safety Regulations: What Does This Mean?

The Fire Safety regulations 2022 became law on 23 January 2023 and therefore implemented the most of recommendations after the Grenfell Tower tragedy. Regulations #9 and #10 provide requirements for mid and high-rise residential buildings. ‘High-rise building’ refers to residential buildings that are at least 18 meters in height and/or have at least 7 storeys with two or more residential units. Mid-rise buildings are 11 meters or above and have two or more sets of residential premises.

Mostly, the Regulations impose requirements on a ‘Responsible Person’ (RP). This can be a person, an organization, or a business that actually owns high-rise buildings or has the responsibility to maintain its common parts like outside walls, shared hallways, stairs, roofs, etc. Sometimes even a letting agent can be held as a responsible person if the property is converted into two separate dwellings but the same agent manages both.

As of 23 January 2023, a RP is supposed to share information on their buildings with local fire and rescue services. This information will help those services with operational planning and additional safety measures to keep the public safe and should be shared electronically. Though it does not have to be sent to the National Fire Chiefs Council.

The requirements for high-rise buildings are:

- The information to be shared is supposed to include details of the construction of the external walls and the material they were made of, the building plans.

- The RP needs to make sure that firefighting and evacuating lifts and other pieces of equipment are checked once a month.

- A secure information box with the contact information of the RP and a hardcopy of a building and floor plans needs to be installed.

- The record should also contain a fault report and any mitigating steps that have been taken.

- The RP is also expected to install floor identification signs and flat indicator signs that should be visible in low visibility that will help firefighters in case of fire.

The requirements for mid-rise buildings are:

- The RP is required to conduct checkups of flat entrance doors once a year.

- Fire doors in common areas need to be checked once in three months.

From now on the RP is supposed to provide all the residents with information on fire exits and how to report a fire as well as any other additional information. In addition to this, the RP is expected to provide residents with a copy of instructions within 12 months after the Regulations come into effect. New residents should be provided with a copy as soon as they move in. The instructions must be updated yearly or as soon as any changes have been made.

All in all, those safety regulations are a new step towards improving fire safety in residential buildings and preventing tragedies with multiple casualties.