There are several key situations where a fire strategy report is not just recommended, but essential for legal compliance and safety.
New Builds and Major Construction
The most common trigger for a fire strategy report is the construction of a new building. To obtain an Initial Notice or Final Certificate from a Building Control Body, you must demonstrate that the design complies with the Building Regulations 2010.
Approved Document B (Fire Safety), which provides guidance on meeting the Building Regulations, often requires a detailed fire strategy report for complex or large buildings. The report serves as the primary evidence that your design for means of escape, fire spread prevention, and fire-fighter access is robust and compliant. Without this report, your project will not get the necessary regulatory approval to proceed.
Refurbishments and Change of Use
Any significant alteration to an existing building, whether it’s a major refurbishment or a change of use, requires a re-evaluation of its fire safety. This is because:
Refurbishments: Altering a building’s layout, adding new partitions, or upgrading services can compromise existing fire safety measures like compartmentation or escape routes. A new fire safety refurbishment report ensures the new design remains compliant.
Change of Use: Converting a building from, for example, a commercial office to a residential block of flats fundamentally changes the risk profile. The occupancy, means of escape, and fire load are completely different, and a new fire strategy report is mandatory to reflect these changes and secure new Building Control approval.
High-Rise & Complex Residential Buildings
Recent legislative changes, spurred by the Grenfell Tower Inquiry, have placed a much greater emphasis on fire safety in multi-occupied residential buildings. For these properties, a high-rise residential fire strategy report is now a foundational document for ongoing legal compliance.
This is driven by the Fire Safety Act 2021, which clarifies that a “responsible person’s” duties under the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 (FSO) now explicitly include a building’s structure, external walls (including cladding and balconies), and flat entrance doors. A fire strategy report is the ideal way to record the fire performance of these elements, providing the critical information required by regulators and the fire service.
Meeting Ongoing Regulatory Requirements
Beyond the design phase, a fire strategy report is a key tool for meeting ongoing obligations under fire safety regulations UK.
Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005: The FSO places a duty on the “responsible person” to carry out a fire risk assessment and implement fire safety measures. The fire strategy report is the essential reference document that informs and supports the fire risk assessment, detailing the building’s inherent safety features and engineered solutions.
Fire Safety (England) Regulations 2022: These regulations introduce new duties for responsible persons in multi-occupied residential buildings. For example, they require the provision of building and floor plans to the local fire and rescue service. A professionally prepared fire strategy report is the perfect source for this information, ensuring it is accurate and readily available.
