Maintaining Fire Compliance
The Annual Fire Safety Statement is a vital component in building safety. It demonstrates a building's compliance with local fire safety standards, representing a year of diligent testing and maintenance of fire safety systems. This statement is key in ensuring occupant safety, offering reassurance to both building owners and residents.
Fire Safety Standards
Each state and territory in Australia, along with New Zealand, has its own set of fire safety standards and reporting processes, exhibiting slight variations in requirements and documentation, such as the Annual Fire Safety Statement in New South Wales and the Building Warrant of Fitness in New Zealand.
| State/Territory | Document/Process |
|---|---|
| New South Wales (NSW) | Annual Fire Safety Statement (AFSS) |
| Victoria (VIC) | Annual Essential Safety Measures Report (AESMR) |
| Queensland (QLD) | Form 16 – Inspection Certificate/Aspect Certificate/QBCC Licensee Aspect Certificate |
| Western Australia (WA) | Building Safety Compliance or Essential Safety Measures Compliance report |
| South Australia (SA) | Maintenance Statement for essential safety provisions |
| Tasmania (TAS) | Compliance with Building Act 2016 |
| Australian Capital Territory (ACT) | Annual Fire Safety Assessment |
| Northern Territory (NT) | Compliance as per the Fire and Emergency Regulations |
| New Zealand (NZ) | Building Warrant of Fitness (BWOF) |
Testing within Apartments
A critical component of annual fire alarm testing involves gaining access to apartments to test the smoke alarms and sounders within each unit. This requires careful planning and coordination with residents to ensure minimal disruption while adhering to safety protocols.
Notification to Residents
Residents should be notified well in advance of the testing schedule. This notification should include the date and time of the test, its importance for safety, and the estimated duration. It’s also helpful to inform them about what the test will involve.
Scheduling and Access Arrangements
For buildings with many units, it might be necessary to arrange specific time slots for each apartment. This can be done through a sign-up system or by assigning predetermined times. Clear communication about when technicians will require access is crucial.
Scheduling with Onsite
Building Management Systems, such as Onsite, allow for the booking of amenities. In this blog, we'll detail the process for setting up a sign up system.
Create & Setup Amenity
- Create a
Fire Alarm Inspectionamenity. - Setup the schedule to match the contractors availability.
- Enable
Auto Approveso that booking are automatically approved. - Select a suitable
Max ConcurrentandDuration. It may be beneficial to have multiple bookings for the one session to provide some flexibility.
Share Portal Link
Notify residents of the testing schedule by sending an email broadcast. Within this broadcast, include a link to the portal so they can easily book.
(Optional) Add default date & amenity ID
Your Portal URL will look similar to this: https://app.onsite.fm/portal?site=EXAMPLE.
Onsite supports query parameters, which allows you to modify the url to include additional data. For example, if you would like to set a default date, you would do the following.
https://app.onsite.fm/portal?site=EXAMPLE&date=20240701
The following query parameters are accepted.
dateemailamenity(use ID found in URL when viewing amenity)
View Bookings
After booking, residents will automatically receive an email that confirms their bookings. Bookings will be listed in the amenity page. From here you can share this schedule with the contractors.
If you would like to understand how you can leverage Onsite in your operations, speak to our friendly team, or begin your free trial today.