Housing Fire Safety Policy - Fire safety asset register, management schedule and fire risk assessments

6. Fire safety asset register and fire safety management schedule

6.1. To ensure we meet our legal obligations and remain fully compliant in our fire safety work it is critical that an accurate and complete list is maintained of all installations, equipment, and appliances in our housing properties. Linked to this, we will develop and maintain as part of our compliance system a Fire Safety Management Schedule listing all properties and equipment therein that require regular inspection, testing and servicing. This register will hold information against each property asset on inspection and servicing requirements, for all domestic properties, communal blocks and ‘other’ property assets. 

6.2. We will work proactively with our contractors to ensure the continuous updating of the fire safety asset register because of any servicing or works carried out including, but not exclusively, the following activities: 

• The carrying out of responsive repairs.
• Void property checks.
• Mutual exchanges.
• Planned maintenance works.
• Annual/periodic servicing and safety checks.
• Presence and checking/servicing/replacing of smoke and heat detector/s. 

6.3. The Council will support contractors in updating the fire safety asset register by advising promptly of: 

• Any relevant works undertaken by any other contractors.
• Any properties added to, or removed from, the stock of homes owned and managed by the Council, noting the need for a rigorous approach for updating the fire safety asset register of any newly developed or acquired properties. 

6.4. The Council will undertake a regular reconciliation exercise to ensure the ongoing accuracy of the fire safety asset register to ensure that all changes resulting from relevant repair and renewal works and changes to the property list have been satisfactorily recorded. 

7. Fire risk assessments (FRAs)

7.1. The undertaking of Fire Risk Assessments (FRAs) and acting appropriately on advice and recommendations arising from them, forms a critical part of our overall approach to ensuring residents are safe in their homes. FRAs will only be conducted by person/s competent to do so. We will assess the necessity and completion priority of all recommended remedial work. Those required will be prioritised and scheduled by risk, those assessed as not necessary will be mitigated by an alternative method or otherwise justified as such. 

7.2. FRAs can be of Type 1, 2, 3 or 4. A full definition of ‘Type 1-4’ can be found in the Government Guide to Fire Safety in Purpose Built Blocks of Flats. Type 3 FRAs have been conducted at all applicable blocks or schemes in 2023. 

7.3. From the date of this policy type 1 FRAs will be conducted at a frequency based on the level of risk presented by the building type and occupancy, as set out below. The frequency or type of FRAs may be varied based on changes made to individual buildings or upon recommendations by the Competent Person undertaking the assessment. 

• For extra care schemes and houses in multiple occupation - annually.
• For sheltered housing schemes – every two years.
• For general needs blocks – every three years. The recommendations arising from FRAs will be prioritise and completed as soon as practicable. 

7.4. FRAs will be reviewed, regardless of the risk category, following any of the events below: 

• A significant fire or relevant incident.
• The introduction of new work practices in the management of buildings.
• Works affecting the means of escape or alarm systems
• Structural or material changes to the building or its use
• Changes in legislation (or significant changes to guidance).
• Changes to the building’s fire strategy.
• Resident issues identified in person centred risk assessment which would be relevant to the building, e.g., resident who is unable to self-evacuate where the escape strategy is simultaneous evacuation. 

7.5. Where newly constructed buildings are being built or acquired, a Type 3 pre-occupation FRA will be carried out and the recommendations resolved prior occupation. A post occupation FRA will then be conducted within 6 months of occupation. Where pre-existing properties are being converted into new accommodation a Type 4 FRA will be carried out.