Fire Safety Information Declaration

The Building Regulations 2010 (as amended)

Regulation 38

Regulation 38 requires that sufficient fire safety information is provided to the responsible person to enable the effective fire-safety management of the building once the relevant building work is complete. Compliance is achieved when the responsible person has been given all necessary information that enables them to:

• Understand and implement the fire safety strategy for the building;
• Maintain and manage all fire safety systems installed as part of the works;
• Carry out, or arrange for, an effective fire risk assessment of the building.

Regulation 38 places a duty on the person carrying out the work to provide this fire safety information to the responsible person by the appropriate deadline:

1. Where the building, proposed building, or extension is unoccupied during the works: The information must be provided no later than the date of completion of the work or the date the building or extension is first occupied, whichever occurs first.
2. In all other cases: The information must be provided no later than the date of completion of the work.

Upon receiving the fire safety information, the responsible person must issue a notice acknowledging receipt. This notice must confirm that the information supplied is sufficient to allow them to understand, operate, and maintain the building, including all relevant fire safety measures, after completion of the building work.

Essential Information to Be Provided

The responsible person must be provided with as built fire safety information to support the effective management, operation, and future risk assessment of the building. The as-built plan should include all the following elements, where applicable. As-built plans must show:

• Escape routes, including exit capacities (i.e. the maximum permissible number of occupants for each storey and for the building as a whole).
• Locations of fire separating construction, including cavity barriers within roof voids and other concealed spaces.
• Fire doorsets, including those fitted with self closing devices and any doors provided with fire related hardware.
• Fire detection and alarm components, including detector heads, alarm call points, control panels, sounders, and associated fire safety signage.
• Emergency lighting locations.
• Firefighting equipment, such as extinguishers, dry or wet fire mains, and any external hydrants serving the building.
• Sprinkler systems, including the position of control valves, isolation valves, and all relevant control equipment.
• Smoke control systems, or any ventilation systems incorporating a smoke control function, including their mode of operation and control arrangements.
• Identified high risk areas, such as plant rooms, heating equipment, or other spaces presenting elevated fire hazard.

Additional information to be provided:

• Specifications for all fire safety equipment, including recommended maintenance schedules.
• Any management assumptions that informed the design of the fire safety arrangements (e.g., staffing levels, evacuation strategy, operational procedures).
• Details of any provisions for the evacuation of disabled persons, including the operation of evacuation lifts, refuges, and other relevant measures intended to support Personal Emergency Evacuation Plans (PEEPs).

Complex Buildings

For complex buildings, or buildings incorporating advanced fire-engineered solutions, additional fire safety information is normally required. Guidance can be found within Approved Document B, Volume 2, specifically paragraphs 19.5 and 19.6.

Submission to Breckland Council Building Control

This Regulation 38 fire safety information must be submitted to Breckland Council Building Control within 5 days of occupation of the building, or within 5 days of completion of the work, whichever occurs first.

A Completion Certificate cannot be issued before this Declaration has been received.