Fire compliance questions, answered plainly

The Australian Standard for the routine servicing of fire protection systems and equipment. It sets out what has to be checked on each type of measure and how often: some monthly, some six-monthly, some yearly. When we say work is done "to AS 1851-2012", that's the schedule we're following.

The items listed on your building's fire safety schedule, which council sets when the building is approved. Typically extinguishers and fire blankets, hose reels and hydrants, exit and emergency lighting, fire doors, smoke and heat detection, alarm panels, sprinklers where fitted, and the paths of travel to exits. If you don't have your schedule, ask council or send us what you have and we'll work from it.

Under AS 1851-2012, different measures fall on different intervals: some monthly, some six-monthly, some annually. You don't have to track all of that; we manage the full schedule so nothing lapses.

A defect is any unit that fails its check against the standard: a corroded extinguisher, an exit light that doesn't hold charge, a fire door that doesn't close. We record it against that exact unit and its location, class it as a critical defect or a non-conformance, and quote the fix separately before doing any work. Once rectified it's re-checked and the record updated.

The building owner, or the owners corporation for strata. Councils can issue penalties for late or missing statements. Having a fire-safety professional handle the testing and coordinate the endorsement keeps you on the right side of it.

It depends on the size of the building and the measures it has. We don't compete on being the cheapest. We quote routine servicing up front, and any defects are quoted separately before we do the work, so there are no surprises on the invoice.

Because it isn't a walk-through. Every fire safety asset on the premises is located, identified, photographed and recorded in an asset register, inspected against AS 1851, and written up in a maintenance record with any defects listed and quoted. That register is the baseline every later visit and every AFSS relies on, and our quotes itemise it so you can see what you're paying for. More on what a first visit includes.

A written maintenance record for your file showing what was checked and what passed or failed, an itemised quote for any defects, and, after the first visit, an asset register of everything on site. You also get a live online overview of your sites, their inspection standing and every document we've sent, so nothing has to be chased.

Scheduled visits are covered by the annual figure in your agreement. Anything outside it, a defect repair or an attendance you ask for, is quoted before it's done, so you always know the cost first.

A maintenance program, not a one-off. For a small premises that's usually the asset register on the first visit, the routine visits AS 1851 requires for the measures you actually have, and the annual assessment. We'll tell you plainly what that is before you commit to anything. We don't do signature-only work.

If your building has essential fire safety measures on its fire safety schedule (and most commercial buildings, strata blocks, childcare centres and schools do), then yes. An AFSS must be issued and lodged with council, and given to Fire and Rescue NSW, every 12 months.

Every measure has to be assessed within the three months before your AFSS is issued. Miss that window and the statement isn't valid, even if everything is working. Scheduled servicing through the year avoids the last-minute scramble.

Yes. We handle the testing and maintenance and coordinate your Annual Fire Safety Statement assessment and endorsement, so it's all managed through one point of contact.

You can buy and mount one, but the type, size, position, signage and service tag all have to meet the standard, and it's assessed like any other measure. If it doesn't meet the standard it's a defect to fix before a valid statement can be issued. And no, we won't sign a statement for a building that hasn't been maintained. It's a declaration you make as the owner, and a false one lands on you, not the contractor. The plain facts on AFSS.

Call us and be straight about where things stand. If the measures have been serviced through the year, an assessment inside the window may be all you need. If they haven't, the honest path is a first visit now, defects fixed, then the statement, and a maintenance program so next year isn't a scramble.

The statement has to be lodged with council and Fire and Rescue NSW every year and displayed in the building. Late or missing statements attract penalty notices that escalate each week, and council can issue fire safety orders. The liability is the owner's, not the contractor's.

We're based in South-West Sydney and service Camden, Campbelltown and the wider greater Sydney area.

The address and building type, roughly what's on site if you know it, your fire safety schedule and last AFSS if you have them, and who you're with now. The quote form asks for exactly that. If you don't have the paperwork, say so and we'll work from the first visit.

The routine servicing is carried out by Anthony, a fire safety technician with more than ten years and 200+ sites behind him, fully insured. The annual assessment for the AFSS is carried out by an accredited practitioner (fire safety), which we coordinate as part of the program.

Yes. That's what they're for. Maintenance records, the asset register and the reports are the owner's documents, kept in your online overview and sent after every visit.

Send us your last AFSS, the fire safety schedule and whatever reports you have. We build the asset register on a first visit, align the AS 1851 schedule to your AFSS date, and put a plain annual agreement in front of you. Most changeovers are done inside one billing cycle. The full changeover, step by step.

Not if we time it. Tell us your current contract's notice period and your AFSS date and we schedule the first visit so no routine lapses in between.

The building owner. If your current contractor holds them, ask for them in writing before the contract ends. We'll work from whatever you get back, and from the first visit if nothing comes.