Fire safety for commercial buildings and facilities managers
Offices, shops, industrial units, warehouses and multi-let buildings all need a current fire risk assessment, maintained fire safety systems and clear arrangements between landlord and tenants. We give facilities managers, landlords and occupiers one partner for assessments, servicing and remedial works, with every record in one portal.
- PAS 79-1:2020Assessment standard we use
- 30+ yearsFire and Rescue experience
- Wales & EnglandRules for both sides
- One contractEvery site, one schedule
Your duties as a commercial Responsible Person
The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 applies to almost every commercial building in England and Wales. The Responsible Person must carry out a suitable and sufficient fire risk assessment, provide and maintain fire precautions, have emergency procedures and train staff. Systems and equipment must be kept in efficient working order and good repair.
Anyone else with control of a building to some extent, such as an FM company under contract, can also have duties. The contract should be clear about who does what.
In England
Since October 2023 every Responsible Person must record the full fire risk assessment in writing, record the identity of anyone who helped carry it out, and share fire safety information with other Responsible Persons in the building. Co-operation duties were also strengthened.
In Wales
The Fire Safety Order applies in full. A written record is required where you employ five or more people, are licensed, or have an alterations notice, and recording the assessment is best practice in every case.
Where commercial buildings lose their protection
Shared responsibility
Landlord and tenants each responsible for part of a multi-let building.
Fit-outs
New partitions block detectors or extend travel distances.
Hidden breaches
Cables and ducts through compartment walls, never sealed, hidden by ceilings.
Rehung doors
Fire doors refitted without closers or seals during alterations.
Contractors and hot work
Welding, cutting and roofing are a common cause of fires in occupied buildings.
Missed servicing
Losing track of who services what, and when, across several sites.
One partner for assessments, servicing and works
We work for landlords and for tenants, and often help both sides agree a single set of arrangements.
Fire risk assessments
To PAS 79-1:2020, for common parts or a tenant's own demise.
Fire strategies
Fit-out designs reviewed against the strategy; new strategies for change of use.
Fire stopping
Penetrations inspected and sealed once a fit-out is complete.
Detection and alarms
Systems adapted to new layouts and serviced to BS 5839-1.
Fire doors
Inspections and repairs, so doors close and seal as designed.
Extinguishers
Servicing to BS 5306-3 on the same schedule as everything else.
Every check on one schedule
With a compliance contract, every statutory and recommended check sits on one schedule, and every report, certificate and next-due date is held in the Vocus Fire Safety Portal, so you can answer an auditor, insurer or client in minutes.
- Fire risk assessment reviews to PAS 79-1:2020
- Fire alarm servicing to BS 5839-1, at intervals not exceeding six months
- Emergency lighting testing to BS 5266-1
- Fire door inspections and extinguisher servicing
- Sprinkler and dry riser servicing
The detail, when you need it
Landlords, tenants and co-operation
Typically the landlord, or its managing agent, is responsible for the common parts and shared systems: the fire alarm, emergency lighting, sprinklers and escape stairs. Each tenant is responsible for its own demise and staff. The lease sets out who maintains what, but the Order applies regardless of what the lease says.
Article 22 requires Responsible Persons who share premises to co-operate, coordinate their measures and tell each other about risks. In practice that means:
- A landlord's assessment of the common parts that tenants can see and rely on
- Tenant assessments that reflect the building's alarm and evacuation strategy
- One evacuation plan for the whole building, with agreed fire marshal arrangements
- Agreement on who tests the alarm, who responds out of hours and how faults are reported
Fit-outs, alterations and change of use
Before a fit-out, we can review the design against the building's fire strategy and advise on what building control will need. After it, we can inspect and seal penetrations, adapt the detection and alarm system and update the fire risk assessment. A change of use, such as offices to flats or retail to leisure, usually needs building regulations approval and a new fire strategy.
Contractors and hot work
Permits to work, fire watches after hot work, control of alarm isolations and a clear induction for contractors all belong in your fire safety management. We can set these arrangements up and review them as part of your fire risk assessment.
How the contract is paid
You can pay on an annual rolling contract, or on a smoothed annual plan that spreads the cost evenly and costs no more over the cycle.
At a glance
- Who it's for
- Facilities managers, landlords, managing agents and occupiers
- Buildings
- Offices, retail, industrial units, warehouses and multi-let buildings
- Standards
- PAS 79-1:2020 · BS 5839-1 · BS 5266-1 · BS 5306-3
- Experience
- Assessments led by a Managing Director with 30+ years in Fire and Rescue
- You receive
- One schedule, one contract and one portal for every site
- Price
- Fixed quote per site
Speak to the team
Questions about your building or your duties? Talk them through with us before you commit to anything.
0330 133 4591Fire service experience, one accountable contract.
30+ years in Fire and Rescue
Our Managing Director, Paul Chamberlain, spent more than three decades in Fire and Rescue, from operational incident command to strategic leadership. That is the lens every assessment is written through.
Wales and England, done right
Fire safety law differs either side of the Severn. Every report and recommendation is written for the rules that actually apply to your building.
One accountable contract
Assessment, remediation and ongoing maintenance under one contract, with one point of contact. No gaps between contractors for you to manage.
Every record in one place
Reports, certificates and next-due dates for every site in the Vocus Fire Safety Portal, ready to show an inspector, insurer or auditor.
Commercial fire safety questions
Short answers to what facilities managers ask us most. Can't see yours? Call us on 0330 133 4591.
Who is responsible for fire safety in a multi-let building?
Usually more than one person. The landlord or managing agent is normally responsible for the common parts and shared systems, and each tenant for its own area and staff. The Fire Safety Order requires them all to co-operate and coordinate, whatever the lease says.
Does a tenant need its own fire risk assessment?
Yes, if the tenant is an employer or has control of its premises, it needs an assessment of its own area. That assessment should reflect the landlord's alarm and evacuation arrangements, so the two need to be read together.
How often does a commercial fire alarm need servicing?
BS 5839-1 recommends servicing by a competent person at intervals not exceeding six months, with a weekly test by the occupier using a different call point each week. Keep a logbook of tests, faults and false alarms.
Do we need a new fire risk assessment after a fit-out?
The assessment must be reviewed after any significant change, and a fit-out usually is one. New layouts, partitions and services can affect escape routes, detection and compartmentation. We can review the assessment and inspect the fire stopping once the work is complete.
Can you cover all our sites under one contract?
Yes. We put every site on one schedule and one contract, and hold every report and certificate in the Vocus Fire Safety Portal. We are based in Newport and focus on South Wales, Bristol and the South West, and take on multi-site estates elsewhere in the UK.
Can you work outside trading hours?
Yes. We plan inspections, servicing and works around your trading hours and occupiers, and agree any alarm isolations and temporary measures in advance.
Services
Sectors
Further reading: What is a PAS 79 fire risk assessment? · Fire alarm testing and servicing: what the law requires · Emergency lighting testing · What is fire stopping?
Bring your sites under one contract
Send us your site list and what is currently in place, and we will propose a single schedule of assessments, servicing and works with fixed prices.