NSW FIRE SAFETY REFORMS WILL PROTECT THE COMMUNITY: FPA AUSTRALIA

The latest fire safety reforms in NSW are an essential step towards greater community safety, according to FPA Australia.

“These reforms have been a long time coming,” said FPA Australia CEO, John Kilgour, “but they are vitally important to ensuring that fire safety systems are able to work when they are most needed.”

A new regulation—the Environmental Planning and Assessment (Development Certification and Fire Safety) Amendment (Fire Safety) Regulation 2022—has implemented the recommendations of a steering committee chaired last year by Michael Lambert.

These reforms:

„ clarify the powers and responsibilities of the Fire Commissioner

„ allow for fire safety schedules to be amended or reissued

„ prescribe AS 1851 as the maintenance standard for essential fire safety measures in the absence of a performance solution

„ introduce an accredited practitioner (fire safety) role for fire systems certification.

“As the national peak fire protection industry body, FPA Australia welcomes these reforms, which will improve the quality of fire protection installed in buildings and ensure that it continues to work in line with its design,” Mr Kilgour said.