What is a Fire Risk Assessment?
A Fire Risk Assessment is a review of a building, its occupants and its fire-safety arrangements. It identifies fire hazards, evaluates the risks and sets out any actions required to improve safety.

Does my property need a Fire Risk Assessment?
Most workplaces, commercial buildings and the communal areas of buildings containing two or more homes require a suitable and sufficient Fire Risk Assessment. The duty normally falls to the building’s “Responsible Person”.

Who is the Responsible Person?
This may be the employer, building owner, landlord, managing agent, occupier or another person with control over the premises. Some buildings may have more than one Responsible Person.

How often should a Fire Risk Assessment be reviewed?
There is no single fixed review period for every property. The assessment must be kept up to date and reviewed following significant changes, fire-safety concerns, alterations, changes in occupancy or where the existing assessment may no longer be valid.

What does your Fire Risk Assessment include?
Our assessment considers fire hazards, people at risk, escape routes, fire doors, compartmentation, emergency lighting, fire alarms, extinguishers, signage, fire procedures, management arrangements and relevant documentation.

Will I receive a written report?
Yes. You will receive a written Fire Risk Assessment detailing the findings, risk level and recommended actions. Current fire-safety duties in England require the Fire Risk Assessment and fire-safety arrangements to be recorded in full.

Does the report include a remedial action plan?
Yes. Remedial items are clearly prioritised so you can identify urgent issues, important improvements and longer-term recommendations.

How long does an FRA survey take?
This depends on the building’s size, layout, occupancy and complexity. A small commercial unit may take a few hours, while larger or more complex premises may require a full day or longer.

How quickly will I receive my report?
Reports are normally issued within 3–5 working days following the site inspection. Urgent turnaround may be available.”

How much does a Fire Risk Assessment cost?
The price depends on the property type, size, number of floors, occupancy and complexity. Ask clients to send the address, property use, approximate floor area and any existing fire-safety information for an accurate quotation.

Can you quote from photographs or drawings?
We may be able to provide an initial estimate using plans and property information, but the Fire Risk Assessment itself will normally require a physical inspection of the premises.

Do I need to prepare anything before the survey?
Where available, provide previous FRAs, floor plans, alarm and emergency-lighting records, fire-door inspections, servicing certificates, evacuation procedures and details of any recent building work.

Will the assessor need access to every room?
Access should be provided to all relevant areas, including plant rooms, electrical cupboards, escape routes and service areas. For blocks of flats, the assessment normally concentrates on the common areas unless there is a specific reason to inspect inside a dwelling.

Do you assess blocks of flats and communal areas?
Yes. The assessment can cover shared corridors, staircases, entrance areas, service cupboards, plant rooms, communal facilities and the measures intended to protect residents and visitors.

Does an FRA include individual flats?
An FRA for a residential block will generally focus on the common parts. Flat entrance doors, walls and other features affecting the protection of the communal escape route may still be considered.

Will you inspect fire doors?
A general FRA includes a visual review of fire-door provision and obvious defects. A separate detailed fire-door inspection may be recommended where individual doors need to be measured, recorded and assessed in greater detail.

Will you inspect fire compartmentation?
The assessor will consider visible signs of compartmentation defects. Intrusive inspections, opening ceilings or specialist fire-stopping surveys may need to be quoted separately.

Is an FRA the same as a fire-door or compartmentation survey?
No. An FRA reviews the overall fire risk and management of the premises. Fire-door and compartmentation surveys are more detailed specialist inspections of specific passive fire-protection elements.

Can you complete the remedial works identified?
Yes. We can provide a separate quotation for suitable remedial works, including fire-door repairs, fire stopping, compartmentation, signage and other relevant fire-safety improvements. Keep the assessment and remedial quotation clearly separated to maintain transparency.

Will my premises receive an FRA certificate?
A Fire Risk Assessment is primarily a detailed report rather than a pass-or-fail certificate. Your website should avoid promising that a building will be “certified compliant” simply because an assessment has been completed.

What happens if serious risks are identified?
The report will explain the issue, the level of priority and the recommended action. Where an immediate risk is identified, you will be informed as soon as reasonably possible rather than waiting for the completed report.

Can you update an existing Fire Risk Assessment?
Yes. An existing FRA can be reviewed and updated following alterations, changes in use, changes in occupancy, a fire incident or completion of remedial works.

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