As of 23rd January 2023, the Fire Safety (England) Regulations 2022 are now law, enforced by the government and forming part of a package of sensible, risk-mitigating fire safety measures. These measures introduce new duties under the Fire Safety Order for building owners or managers (responsible persons).
The aforementioned regulations fall under article 24, acting as an important landmark in the progression and implementation of recommendations following the Grenfell Inquiry Phase 1. In the below article, we will briefly summarise these duties and what is required from building owners.
To assist fire and rescue services with operational planning, responsible persons of mid and high-rise blocks of flats are now required to provide several pieces of information. This also extends to multi-occupied residential buildings, where responsible persons must provide residents with fire safety instructions and information on fire doors.
More specifically, responsible persons will be required to:
| Buildings up to 11 metres | Buildings between 11 and 18 metres | Buildings above 18 metres | Requirements |
| To provide residents with information about the importance of fire doors | Required | Required | Required |
| To provide residents with, and display, fire safety information, including evacuation strategy and what to do if a fire occurs | Required | Required | Required |
| To undertake annual checks on flat entrance doors and quarterly checks on all fire doors in the common parts | Required | Required | |
| Install and maintain a secure Information Box containing the name and contact details of the Responsible Person and floor plans | Required | ||
| Install signage that is visible in low light or smoky conditions identifying flat and floor numbers in the stairwells | Required | ||
| Provide the local fire and rescue service with copies of up-to-date electronic floor and building plans and put a copy in the Information Box | Required | ||
| Undertake monthly checks on the operation of lifts used by firefighters and evacuation lifts, together with the functionality of key pieces of firefighting equipment | Required | ||
| Report any defective lifts or equipment to the local fire service if they cannot be rectified within 24 hours. Maintain a record of these checks and make them available to residents | Required | ||
| Provide the local fire and rescue services with information and the design and materials used in the external wall system and update them on any significant changes | Required | ||
| Provide information to the fire and rescue services in relation to the risks the external wall systems may give rise to and any mitigating steps which have been taken to minimize that risk | Required |
