A Step-by-Step Guide to the Fire Safety (England) Regulations 2022

Last updated: 5th February 2024 

Time is officially of the essence!

The new Fire Safety (England) Regulations 2022 came into force on 23^rd January 2023, and brought with them new obligations and duties for Responsible Persons under article 24 of the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005. These latest regulations follow on from the Fire Safety Act 2021, which commenced on 16th May 2022, and clarify responsibility for managing and reducing fire risk in multi-occupied residential buildings.

Specifically relating to England only, the Fire Safety (England) Regulations 2022 are another important step in implementing the recommendations made to the Government following the Grenfell Tower tragedy, aiming to save lives and prevent similar disasters occurring.

2023 brought about a number of new operations and practices for landlords or building owners to introduce in order to comply with the new regulations. If you are after some help and guidance with your risk assessments, as well as your preparation for implementing the new management operations, we’ve got you covered.

To begin with, let’s recap – are you the Responsible Person?

If you are the person who is deemed to have responsibility and control for the safety of themselves and others on a regulated premises, then you are the Responsible Person. You may be a building owner, manager or leaseholder. For more detailed information regarding the Responsible Person, check out our more dedicated blog. 

The regulations require that the Responsible Person must take specific and necessary actions depending on the size and height of a building. These requirements are based on three different building categories, laid out below.

1 - All residential buildings with two or more sets of domestic premises irrespective of height

• Residents should be provided with information about Fire Safety Instructions.
• Residents should be provided with information about Fire Doors.

2 - Residential buildings that are between 11 metres and 17.9 metres in height

• Residents should be provided with information about Fire Safety Instructions.
• Residents should be provided with information about Fire Doors.
• Residents should be provided with information about Fire Door Checks, conduct quarterly checks on all communal fire doors, and conduct annual checks on all flat entrance doors (which includes self-closing devices).

3 - Residential buildings that are 18 metres or seven storeys above

The following provisions are required to assist the Fire and Rescue Service in responding effectively to any incident which occurs within the building.

• Residents should be provided with information about Fire Safety Instructions.
• Residents should be provided with information about Fire Doors.
• Residents should be provided with information about Fire Door Checks, conduct quarterly checks on all communal fire doors, and conduct annual checks on all flat entrance doors (which includes self-closing devices).
• Provide the local Fire and Rescue Service with up-to-date Building Floor Plans, and also put these in the secure information box.
• Install and maintain Secure Information Boxes, containing the name and contact details of the Responsible Person alongside building floor plans. Check these boxes at least annually.
• Provide the local Fire and Rescue Service with information about the design and materials of the External Wall Systems of a building, providing information of any material changes. Aside from cladding this also includes windows and balconies.
• Undertake monthly functionality checks on all Lifts and other Key Fire-Fighting Equipment.
• Ensure Wayfinding Signage complies with regulations (the signage ensures visibility in low light or smoky conditions).

To stay on top of all your fire safety checks and practices, why not download our free infographic guide? 

It’s safe to say that these requirements are extensive, so let’s take a look at some of them in more detail…

When providing up-to-date floor plans to the Fire and Rescue Service, the regulations require them to be a reasonably accurate reflection of each floor of the building. The floor plan must clearly indicate to firefighters which floor(s) it relates to, showing the location of the key fire-fighting equipment which are set out in the regulations. Think of the floor plans as covering all necessary details surrounding the internal building, such as where the lifts and stairs are located. You must also provide a single page plan; this is an external indicator, providing the Fire and Rescue Service with an aerial view of the building (showing access points) so that if a fire did occur, they would be able to see exactly where it is located. Both of these plans should be reviewed regularly. If anything changes, such as the layout of the building or location of any equipment, the plans should be updated.

When collecting your floor plans, you may include the different areas of fire resistance, known as compartment lines. If you are unsure of where your compartment lines are located, we can assist through conducting a compartmentation survey. The survey will assess where each compartment is and their suitability for restricting the spread of smoke, fire and heat, alongside their ability to protect escape routes. To create compartment line plans, accurate floor plans of the building are needed.

If you already have a compartmentation survey and want to gain assurance that it was undertaken correctly and comprehensively, a Compartmentation Audit would be useful for ensuring your building is safe and compliant. 

Fire doors must also be checked regularly. In buildings over 11m in height, the Responsible Person must undertake a quarterly inspection of all communal fire doors and an annual inspection of all flat front entrance doors by best endeavour, to identify any obvious damage or issues. The inspection should include looking at…

• Are there any alterations or damage to a door’s glazing apertures or air transfer grille?
• Are there any gaps around the door frame? Are the seals and hinges fitted correctly?
• Does the door shut properly?
• Does the door close correctly around the whole frame?
• Is there any visible damage to the door or door closer?

More detailed checks will then likely be needed if damage is identified in the initial check. If you lack the skills or internal capacity to navigate this process, we can undertake fire door checks or more detailed inspections should you need them. We can also offer training of fire door inspections.

Anything else I should know?

Yes! It will be helpful for the Responsible Persons of buildings over 18m or seven storeys above to review the recommended standard for Secure Information Boxes (developed by the Fire Industry Association and the National Fire Chief Council), and refer to the government guidance on Wayfinding Signage specification. Our Fire Risk Assessments, completed by our BAFE SP205 accredited Fire Risk Assessment team, strictly adhere to industry leading standards and a robust internal validation process, providing you with a clear plan to make things better if certain areas fall short.

It is also noteworthy to mention that the two recommendations surrounding PEEPs (Personal Emergency Evacuation Plans) will not be implemented in these regulations, following the Government declaring difficulties related to practicality, proportionality and safety. The Government are currently considering responses to EEIS+ (Emergency Evacuation Information Sharing) as an alternative package of measures.

Great, so… what should I be doing now?

Now is the time to be ensuring that you are entirely compliant with the most recent legal duties that have been placed upon you. Make sure that you have the necessary management and operation arrangements in place, and don’t forget to check your Fire Risk Assessments, ensuring they contain the requirements and actions needed to be undertaken as part of the Fire Safety Act 2021.

If you haven’t already, we advise you to ask yourself the following questions:

• What do you know about your building?
• Do you know the exact height of your building? Have you got accurate floor plans?
• How can fire safety authorities access this information quickly and easily if they need it?
• How is this going to influence your Fire Risk Assessments?

For more in-depth insights, click below to watch our dedicated webinar on-demand, where we discussed the ins and outs of the new Fire Safety (England) Regulations 2022 changes – a great chance to hear first-hand from our experts! 

Key takeaways…

To summarise, the latest regulations came into force on 23^rd January 2023. Depending on the height of a residential building, the Responsible Person is required to undertake new, specific duties to comply with regulations and ensure maximum safety at all times.

It’s time to be getting stuck into these changes, but don’t worry if you are falling slightly behind. We understand that this is a challenging time for landlords and building owners, and our approach is centred around being your exceptional, trusted expert. We provide advice and support to help you ensure existing and new regulations are met, as well as helping you keep your residents and your buildings as safe as possible.

With over two decades of experience in helping to create safer environments for people and buildings, we are able to provide any necessary guidance and/or assistance with preparing for the new regulations, no matter which stage you are at in your compliance journey.

To discuss your safety obligations with one of our experts, please get in touch.