Starting point
The premises, people and agreed scope
The report should identify the address, responsible person, assessor, date, areas covered, uses, occupancy, construction and information relied upon. Shared or excluded areas and access limitations must be explicit.
The assessor needs to understand normal operation and credible variations such as night work, events, contractors, lone working, reduced staffing and visitors unfamiliar with the building.
- Premises description, construction, storeys and uses
- Responsible persons and areas of control
- Maximum and typical occupancy
- People who may need assistance to escape
- Areas inspected, inaccessible and outside scope
- Plans, previous reports, fire strategy and maintenance evidence reviewed
Steps one and two
Fire hazards and people at risk
Assessment identifies sources of ignition, fuel and oxygen, then considers who could be exposed and why. The aim is to understand plausible fire scenarios rather than create an unprioritised inventory of every object.
Particular attention is needed for people who sleep, are unfamiliar with the building, work alone, are very young or older, or may need assistance because of disability or another circumstance.
Ignition
Electrical equipment, cooking, heating, smoking, hot work, arson and processes.
Fuel
Stock, waste, furnishings, finishes, gases, liquids and combustible construction.
People
Employees, residents, visitors, contractors, neighbours and firefighters where relevant.
Circumstances
Location, awareness, mobility, staffing, familiarity and time available to escape.
Evaluate and protect
Escape and fire precautions assessed together
The assessor considers the likelihood and consequences of fire, removes or reduces hazards where possible and judges the adequacy of general fire precautions. Individual systems cannot be evaluated sensibly without the building’s evacuation strategy and occupants.
An FRA is normally visual and non-destructive unless another scope is agreed. It may identify the need for a specialist inspection where construction or system performance cannot be established.
- Escape routes, exits, travel, stairs and final-exit security
- Detection, alarm, staff response and warning for all occupants
- Emergency lighting, signs and wayfinding
- Fire doors, compartmentation, service penetrations and smoke spread
- Extinguishers and other first-aid firefighting equipment
- Smoke control, sprinklers and other active systems where present
- Access and facilities relevant to fire and rescue operations
Day-to-day control
Fire-safety management and emergency arrangements
Good hardware can be undermined by poor management. The assessment should consider who manages fire safety, how defects and changes are controlled, whether systems are maintained and whether people understand what to do.
The emergency plan must be based on the assessment and work for foreseeable occupancy. In shared premises it should coordinate with other responsible persons.
- Fire-safety roles, policies and cooperation arrangements
- Emergency plan, evacuation strategy and calling the fire service
- Information, instruction, training and drills
- Assistance arrangements for disabled and vulnerable people
- Routine checks, testing, maintenance and defect escalation
- Contractors, hot work, dangerous substances and change control
Written output
What the completed report should give you
The written assessment should record all findings, explain its evidence and limitations and translate material shortcomings into a prioritised action plan. A risk rating can help summarise urgency, but it must not replace clear findings and reasoning.
The report should distinguish observed conditions, information supplied, recommendations, further investigation and matters outside scope.
- Clear scope, methodology and limitations
- Findings linked to locations and risks
- Existing precautions and their adequacy
- Prioritised actions with understandable outcomes
- Interim controls where permanent work cannot be immediate
- Review advice and triggers for earlier revision
Boundaries
What an FRA does not automatically include
A standard FRA is not automatically a fire strategy, intrusive compartmentation survey, external-wall appraisal, full fire-door inspection or service certificate. It also does not guarantee that concealed construction is compliant.
Where the assessor cannot reach a reliable conclusion, the report should state the limitation and recommend proportionate further investigation—not quietly assume the condition is satisfactory.