Fire safety compliance at a glance

Use this checklist to verify your premises meet fire safety requirements under the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005. Bookmark and review regularly.

Daily checks

Verify these every day your premises are occupied:

Escape routes are clear and unobstructed
Fire doors are not wedged open (unless automatic release)
Final exit doors open and are not locked
Fire exit signs are visible and illuminated
No obvious fire hazards

Weekly checks

Complete these every week:

Test fire alarm system

Test a different manual call point each week. Rotate through all call points. Record in fire alarm logbook.

Fire door inspection

Check fire doors close fully on their self-closers. Check seals and intumescent strips are intact.

If you are the responsible person for a building with two or more sets of domestic premises and its top storey is above 11 metres, you must check the fire doors in communal areas at least every 3 months under Regulation 10 of the Fire Safety (England) Regulations 2022. Height is measured to the top storey, so count metres rather than storeys.

Building height threshold: Top storey above 11 metres
Inspection frequency: At least every 3 months
Scope: All fire doors in communal areas of the building
Minimum content of each check: Self-closing devices are working
Came into force: 23 January 2023

What to check

The GOV.UK fire door guidance describes the checks as simple and visual. It suggests you look at the following each time.

The self-closing device works and the door closes fully into its frame from any angle
Intumescent strips and smoke seals, where fitted, are undamaged, touch the door edge or frame and have not been painted over
The gap between door and frame is no more than 4mm, except at the bottom of the door
The hinges and other ironmongery have no obvious defects, such as missing or loose screws
There is no damage, hole or alteration to the door, frame, glazing or surrounding wall that could affect its fire resistance

Where a door is found to be inadequate and needs replacing, a competent person must do the work.

Monthly checks

Complete these monthly:

Emergency lighting functional test (press test button)
Extinguishers in position and undamaged
Fire action notices in place
Assembly point signage visible

Emergency lighting requirements

Monthly functional tests plus annual full-duration discharge test.

Under Article 14 of the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005, emergency routes and exits that need illumination must have emergency lighting of adequate intensity if the normal lighting fails. The responsible person must provide it where it is needed to keep people safe.

Legal duty: Emergency lighting on routes needing illumination, for when normal lighting fails
Duration: Systems and luminaires are designed to run for between one and three hours
Monthly test: A function test, operating the test facility long enough to check each lamp lights
Annual test: A full discharge test
After a discharge test: Batteries typically take 24 hours to recharge, so do not reoccupy until it is working

When you are likely to need it

Government guidance says emergency escape lighting is likely to be needed where escape routes are internal and without windows, or where the premises are used in the dark, including early darkness on winter days. In small premises with simple escape routes, borrowed lighting such as street lamps may be enough, or suitably placed torches for trained staff. Larger or more complex premises are likely to need a fixed automatic system. Your fire risk assessment decides what you need.

Testing and maintenance

Systems can be maintained, which means on all the time, or non-maintained, which means they only come on when normal lighting fails. Check daily, where practicable, that units are in good repair and working. Test them monthly for charge and illumination at a time when they will not be needed straight afterwards. A competent person should test and maintain the emergency lighting every year. The standards for the design and testing of emergency lighting are BS 5266-1 and BS 5266-8.

Fire safety risk assessment - offices and shops (opens in a new tab)

Quarterly checks

Fire door inspections

In a block of flats in England with a top storey above 11 metres, communal fire doors must be checked every 3 months under the Fire Safety (England) Regulations 2022.

Building height threshold: Top storey above 11 metres
Inspection frequency: At least every 3 months
Scope: All fire doors in communal areas of the building
Minimum content of each check: Self-closing devices are working
Came into force: 23 January 2023

What to check

The GOV.UK fire door guidance describes the checks as simple and visual. It suggests you look at the following each time.

The self-closing device works and the door closes fully into its frame from any angle
Intumescent strips and smoke seals, where fitted, are undamaged, touch the door edge or frame and have not been painted over
The gap between door and frame is no more than 4mm, except at the bottom of the door
The hinges and other ironmongery have no obvious defects, such as missing or loose screws
There is no damage, hole or alteration to the door, frame, glazing or surrounding wall that could affect its fire resistance

Where a door is found to be inadequate and needs replacing, a competent person must do the work.

Six-monthly

Fire alarm service by qualified engineer
Record results in fire alarm logbook

Fire alarm testing schedule

Weekly tests plus six-monthly professional servicing.

Under Articles 13 and 17 of the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005, the responsible person must provide suitable fire detection and warning systems and keep fire safety equipment under a suitable system of maintenance, in an efficient state, in efficient working order and in good repair.

Weekly (guidance): Test the fire detection and warning system and manual warning devices, following the maker's or installer's instructions
Six-monthly (guidance): A competent person tests and maintains the fire detection and warning system
Annual (guidance): A competent person tests and maintains emergency lighting, firefighting equipment, fire alarms and other installed systems
Log book (guidance): Keep a log of all maintenance and testing; records help you show you comply
New systems (guidance): A competent person should design and install new automatic detection, following BS 5839-1 or a later standard

The government guidance says these test frequencies are examples and not prescriptive, and other testing regimes may be appropriate. Your fire risk assessment decides what your premises needs.

Annual requirements

Review fire risk assessment

Review regularly, and straight after any significant change, incident, or enforcement notice.

Annual servicing required for:

Fire extinguishers (professional service and certification)
Emergency lighting (full duration discharge test)
Fire alarm system (comprehensive inspection)
Flat entrance doors, using best endeavours, in a block of flats with a top storey above 11 metres

Meet fire safety requirements for your business premises

If you control business premises in England or Wales, you are a responsible person under the Fire Safety Order 2005.

Training requirements

Staff need fire safety training at induction and annual refreshers.

Under Article 21 of the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005, the responsible person must make sure employees get adequate safety training. The training must be suitable and sufficient, appropriate to the risks in your fire risk assessment, and given during working hours.

When first employed: Training is required when someone starts work
New or increased risk: Training is required when a transfer, change of responsibilities, new equipment or technology, or a new or changed system of work exposes someone to new or increased risk
Repeat: Repeat training periodically where appropriate and adapt it to new or changed risks
Working hours: Training must take place during working hours

What the government guidance says training should cover

All staff should get basic fire safety induction training and attend refresher sessions at set intervals. As a minimum, training should cover:

the items in your emergency plan
the importance of fire doors and other basic fire-prevention measures
where relevant, the right use of firefighting equipment
reporting to the assembly area
exit routes and how exit devices work, including physically walking the routes
general matters such as permitted smoking areas
helping disabled people where necessary

Fire marshals: Staff who act as fire marshals (fire wardens) need more comprehensive training
Records: Keep training verifiable; enforcing authorities may ask to see training records

Records to maintain

Keep these records available for fire service inspection:

Current fire risk assessment (written, dated, signed)
Fire alarm logbook (weekly tests, faults, maintenance)
Staff training records (dates, attendees, content)
Fire drill records (date, evacuation time, issues, actions)
Equipment servicing certificates

Legal basis

Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005
Fire Safety Act 2021
Fire Safety (England) Regulations 2022 (high-rise residential)

Fire safety compliance checklist

Fire safety compliance at a glance

Daily checks

Weekly checks

Test fire alarm system

Monthly checks

Quarterly checks

Six-monthly

Annual requirements

Review fire risk assessment

Meet fire safety requirements for your business premises

Records to maintain

Legal basis

Official guidance

Fire safety compliance checklist

Fire safety compliance at a glance

Daily checks

Weekly checks

Test fire alarm system

Monthly checks

Quarterly checks

Six-monthly

Annual requirements

Review fire risk assessment

Meet fire safety requirements for your business premises

Records to maintain

Legal basis

Official guidance

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