The Fire Safety Act 2021 (the Act) received Royal Assent on 29 April 2021 and commenced on 16 May 2022.  The Act amends the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 (the Fire Safety Order). 

The Act clarifies that responsible persons (RPs) for multi-occupied residential buildings must manage and reduce the risk of fire for the structure and external walls of the building, including cladding, balconies and windows, and entrance doors to individual flats that open into common parts.

The Act applies to England and Wales. Information on how the Act applies within Wales can be found on the Welsh Government website. 

NFCC welcomed the Fire Safety Act and its intent. The Act clarifies the areas of a multi-occupied residential building to which the Fire Safety Order applies. The PPRU has worked closely with Government from the Act’s inception. In June 2020, the NFCC submitted written evidence on the Fire Safety Bill. Throughout the Bill’s passage, NFCC has been engaged with Government and stakeholders over implementation and, through the Task and Finish Group, has supported a risk-based approach to implementation. The necessary amendment to enable this was brought forward during the Bill’s passage.

Fire Risk Assessment Prioritisation Tool

The PPRU has supported the Home Office Task and Finish Group in the production of a new Fire Risk Assessment Prioritisation Tool (FRAPT). The FRAPT is an online tool designed to assist responsible persons to develop a strategy to prioritise their buildings to review their fire risk assessments, to ensure they take into account the clarifications outlined in the Act.  

The Fire Risk Assessment Prioritisation Tool is available within The Fire Safety Act commencement prioritisation guidance here

Where can I find out more information?

You can find out more by reading our Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) here.

Information on how the Act applies within Wales can be found on the Welsh Government website.  

The Home Office has produced the following series of fact sheets which provide more detailed information on what the changes mean in England, which are available on the UK Government website.

Toolkit for Inspecting and Enforcing High-rise Residential Buildings

The PPRU has developed a helpful ‘Toolkit for Inspecting and Enforcing High-rise Residential Buildings’, for FRSs. You can access these on the SharePoint behind the Protection Workplace page.  An update of this guide now that the Regulations have been brought forward is being finalised, and NFCC hope to provide this to FRSs shortly. 

If you have any questions, please contact us at ppruadminteam@nationalfirechiefs.org.uk. Â