New fire safety regulations come into force this month and Dorset & Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service is urging owners and managers of high-rise residential buildings to make sure they understand the new legislation.

The Fire Safety (England) Regulations 2022 determine high-rise buildings to be those of at least seven storeys and/or 18 metres in height. Responsible Persons of such buildings now have to meet a number of new requirements, including:

• Providing their local fire and rescue service with detailed floor and building plans, both electronically and hard-copy in secure information boxes on site.
• Providing details of the building’s external wall construction via an online reporting tool.
• Advising the fire and rescue service of any faults to firefighting equipment and lifts, and reporting when the faults have been fixed.

The new regulations apply to all multi-occupied residential buildings, containing two or more sets of domestic premises, requiring Responsible Persons to:

• Provide relevant fire safety instructions to their residents on how to report a fire and what a resident must do once a fire has occurred. This will include information on the evacuation strategy for the building, and may also include consideration of fire signage in other languages where appropriate. This would give occupants a better understanding of what to do in a fire situation.
• Provide residents with information relating to the importance of fire doors in fire safety.

Group manager Graham Kewley, head of fire safety delivery, said: “As a result of the Grenfell Tower tragedy, and the public inquiry Phase 1 recommendations that followed, the new Fire Safety Act came into force last May, and the Fire Safety (England) Regulations started on 23 January. These are important steps in strengthening existing fire safety legislation, and improving fire safety in multi-occupied residential buildings.

“We are encouraging Responsible Persons – usually the owner, site manager or occupier of the premises, who is responsible for ensuring and maintaining correct fire safety and procedures – to familiarise themselves with the new regulations and to prepare for the significant changes being introduced. This includes reviewing their fire risk assessments, and being clear on which parts of the new legislation apply to their premises, as there are differing requirements depending on the height of the building.”

Full information can be found at www.dwfire.org.uk/multi-occupied-residential-buildings