Annual Fire Safety Statement
Fire Certificate and Annual Fire Safety Statement
Fire safety should never be taken for granted. In NSW, the NSW Environmental Planning and Assessment Regulations (2000) require ALL building owners, except for houses and non-habitable buildings, to submit an Annual Fire Safety Statement (AFSS) to the local council and fire brigade.
Failure to submit an AFSS certification could lead to hefty fines. This certification ensures that all your fire protection systems are in good working condition and complies with the local and Australian fire safety and building standards like AS1851 and AS2293.2.
Further information can be found on the following websites:
Annual Fire Safety Statement
An Annual Fire Safety Statement (AFSS) is a document submitted by or on behalf of the owner of a building to their Local Council. This Statement may also be required for OH&S and/or insurance purposes.
The AFSS is required on an annual anniversary date much like a vehicle is required to pass an annual inspection for registration. A fine may be issued by the Council to the owner of the property if the AFSS is not received by the Council on the proposed due date.
Note: If your Council has not requested an AFSS you may not need to submit one. However, all equipment should still be tested to ensure the safety of tenants and to ensure your insurance is not compromised.
Your role in supplying a Statement
By advising us of the due date of your Annual Fire Safety Statement, we can schedule your testing appropriately so your Statement will be ready for submission. There are a few things to keep in mind:
- We require the due date of your Annual Fire Safety Statement
- It will assist us if you can supply us with a copy of the schedule of equipment and any other correspondence received from Council regarding the Statement.
- You’ll need to arrange access to all fire protection equipment on site for our technicians to complete testing and repairs where required
- A Certificate cannot be issued unless all equipment is found to be compliant during the test. Should any equipment need repair, a report detailing repairs required will be sent to you. On receipt of this report, please advise us on how you would like to proceed.
Once you have received your Certificate:
- The owner or agent of the property must sign the Statement and forward it to your Local Council
- A copy of the signed Statement must be given to the Fire Commissioner and / or your Local Fire Brigade
- A copy of the signed Statement must be prominently displayed in the common area of the building in question
- Commercial (high-rise, low rise, retail and wholesale)
- Industrial (factories, warehouses and manufacturing)
- Infrastructure (road tunnels, airports, government, rail, defence, education and health)
- Strata (Units, town-houses, BMC’s and shops)
Where do I find the most up to date Annual Fire Safety Statement template?
You will find the most up to date templates on the NSW Department of Planning, Industry and Environment website.
Lodging a Fire Safety Statement
The buildings owners responsibility for Annual Fire Safety Statement:
- As soon as possible after a fire safety statement is issued the building owner(s) must provide:
- a copy of the fire safety statement and the building’s current fire safety schedule to the Fire Commissioner (i.e. FRNSW); and
- a copy of the fire safety statement and the building’s current fire safety schedule and be prominently displayed in the building.
Find out more about the FPAS Accredited Practitioner
In February 2019 the NSW Government approved both the FSA and Fire Systems Design (FSD) classes of FPAS accreditation under the state’s 2017 fire safety reforms, meaning that individuals holding either FSA or FSD accreditation will be recognised as ‘competent fire safety practitioners’ (CFSPs) under the reforms. All relevant fire protection work in NSW is required to be undertaken by a CFSP accredited by FPAS or other future approved schemes.