The Fire Safety (England) Regulations 2022 came into effect on 23 January 2023 and were introduced to implement the recommendations of the Grenfell Tower Inquiry Phase 1 report. The regulations apply to England only and are being introduced under Article 24 of the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005.
The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 is the primary fire safety legislation in England and Wales, and it applies to all non-domestic premises as well as the communal parts of residential buildings. Changes to this legislation have been introduced through the Building Safety Act 2022.
The Fire Safety Act 2021 came into effect in May 2022 and clarified that the building’s structure and external walls (including windows, balconies, cladding, insulations and fixings) fall within the scope of the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005. Therefore, the risk of fire relating to the external walls is a matter which should be considered as part of the premises risk assessment.
Read more about the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005.
Who is affected by the regulations?
The regulations apply to the following buildings in England:
- High-rise residential buildings
- Residential buildings with storeys over 11 metres in height
- All multi-occupied residential buildings with two or more sets of domestic premises
High-rise residential buildings:
Responsible persons of high-rise residential buildings – buildings at least 18 metres or seven storeys in height – are required to:
- Secure Information Boxes: Install and maintain a Secure Information Box in their building. This must contain the name and contact details of the responsible person and hard copies of the building and floor plans. Find out more about Secure Information Boxes.
- External wall systems: Prepare a record of the design of the external walls of building, including the materials used in their construction. The record must provide information on the level of risk associated with the externals and any mitigating steps that have been taken. The responsible person is required to share a copy of the record with Avon Fire & Rescue Service, or their local fire and rescue service. Find out how to submit information.
- Building plans: Prepare up-to-date floor plans, alongside a single page building plan which identifies key firefighting equipment. The responsible person is required to electronically share copies of the plans with Avon Fire & Rescue Service, or their local fire and rescue service. Submit building plans online.
- Lift and key firefighting equipment: Undertake routine monthly checks of lifts intended for use by firefighters, evacuation lifts and other key pieces of firefighting equipment. Any faults identified with equipment that cannot be rectified within 24 hours must be reported to Avon Fire & Rescue Service, or their local fire and rescue service. Submit a fault.
- Wayfinding signage: Install floor identification signs and flat indicator signs The signage is intended to assist firefighters and should be visible in low light or smoky conditions.
Residential buildings with storeys over 11 metres:
Responsible persons of buildings with storeys over 11 metres are required to carry out annual checks on flat entrance fire doors and quarterly checks of all fire doors in the communal areas.
Multi-occupied residential buildings:
Responsible persons of multi-occupied residential buildings with two or more sets of domestic premises are required to:
- Provide fire safety information to their residents on how to report a fire and what a resident must do once a fire has occurred.
- Provide residents with information relating to the importance of fire doors in fire safety.