Essential Fire Safety Measures are any measures, including items of equipment, forms of construction or fire safety strategies that are implemented in a building to ensure the safety of persons using the building in the event of fire. After the building is built, it then becomes the building owner’s responsibility to ensure those Fire Safety Measures are inspected, tested and maintained regularly so they can be relied upon in the event of fire.
In New South Wales, the Essential Fire Safety Measures provided in a building, are listed on the Fire Safety Certificate associated with the Occupation Certificate. Annually, the building owner must certify the operation of each Safety Measure and prepare a Fire Safety Statement with copies sent to the Council and Fire Brigade.
In Victoria, the Essential Safety Measures are listed on the Occupancy Permit. Annually, the building owner must prepare an Essential Safety Measures Report and produce that report when requested.
How then can a building owner ensure they are meeting their duty of care and statutory obligations?
A system which schedules each of the required tests for each building and then provides for signed records of each inspection is the ideal way to ensure compliance can be achieved.
Ray Novosel, Manager for Works and Infrastructure at the Shire of Strathbogie, wanted to assure himself and Council that all inspections and tests relating to fire safety were being carried out, especially for Council’s highest risk properties. An audit was carried out to identify the essential safety measures in each building. This data was entered into an Essential Safety Inspection System (ESIS) database. Essential Services Manuals for each site were prepared which identified each inspection and when it was to be performed and by whom. This system had been identified by Ray Novosel as being the most cost effective means of managing fire safety risk.
Statcom Systems, a specialist provider of building safety compliance services and software, encourages all building owners, to adopt a systematic approach to compliance management. Reliance upon copies of service reports alone is not an effective means of managing fire safety compliance. AS3806 provides an excellent roadmap for people who wish to adopt a systematic approach to compliance management.
For Councils and clients with larger portfolios of buildings to be managed, Statcom Systems sends reminders using emails generated automatically by the software, to prompt staff and contractors each month to carry out specific assigned tasks.
Some NSW Councils already send reminders to prompt private building owners to submit Annual Fire Safety Statements.
For further information contact Statcom Systems in Sydney on (02) 9715 6336 or Melbourne on (03) 9894 3888, visit www.statcomsystems.com.au or email info@statcomsystems.com.au
* Copy supplied by Statcom Systems
