No Shortcuts with Fire Risk  Management

This is the legal backbone of fire management.

Key points:

• Must be suitable and sufficient
• Must be reviewed regularly (typically annually or after changes)
• Identifies hazards, risks, and required actions
• Covers people at risk, including vulnerable occupants
• Must be documented if you have multiple dwellings or common areas

For a multi‑storey terrace, even if privately owned, an FRA is essential for insurance and best practice.

Fire management ensures everything works — always.

Systems that must be maintained:

• Smoke/heat alarms (BS 5839‑6)
• Emergency lighting
• Fire doors (your open tab on fire door anatomy is directly relevant)
• Suppression systems (sprinklers/mist)
• Ventilation systems (including corridor/stair smoke control)
• Fire‑stopping and compartmentation
• Electrical installations (periodic inspection)

Maintenance must follow British Standards and manufacturer guidance.

This is one of the most common failure points in real buildings.

You need to manage:

• Door closers working correctly
• Intumescent seals intact
• No wedges or hold‑opens unless they’re automatic and linked to the alarm
• Gaps within tolerance
• Regular inspections (often every 6 months)

Your open tab on fire door anatomy is exactly the kind of detail fire management relies on.

This defines how people leave the building in a fire.

Common strategies:

• Simultaneous evacuation (everyone leaves at once)
• Stay put (common in flats with strong compartmentation)
• Phased evacuation (for large buildings)

For a multi‑storey single‑stair dwelling, it’s usually simultaneous, but if you install suppression and strengthen compartmentation, you may justify a more nuanced approach.

Even in a domestic setting, people need to know:

• How to escape
• Where the exits are
• How alarms sound
• What to do if a fire starts
• How to use extinguishers (if provided)

In managed buildings, this includes formal training and drills. In a private home, it’s about ensuring everyone understands the plan.

Good fire management is documented.

You should keep:

• Maintenance logs
• Alarm test records
• Fire door inspection records
• FRA reports
• Certificates for installations (alarms, sprinklers, electrical)
• Any correspondence with Building Control or insurers

This is crucial if you ever sell, renovate, or face an insurance claim.

Any change to the building can affect fire safety.

Examples:

• New partitions
• Loft conversions
• Changing door hardware
• Adding or removing ventilation
• Installing new services (cables, pipes)

Fire management ensures changes don’t compromise the fire strategy.

Fire management is shaped by:

• Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005
• Fire Safety Act 2021
• Fire Safety (England) Regulations 2022
• Building Regulations 2010
• Relevant British Standards (BS 5839, BS 9991, BS 9251, BS 8458, BS EN 13501, etc.)

Even for a private dwelling, these influence best practice and insurance expectations.