Fire Safety Upgrading Assessment

ABN 27 063 535 919

Engineered Fire & Safety Solutions Pty Ltd

Our Services at a Glance:

· Building plan building code compliance assessment

· Existing buildings BCA compliance assessment

· Fire safety upgrading review

The NSW environmental planning and assessment act provides an avenue for the building fire safety features to be upgraded to a level that is more appropriate to presently expected levels.

Whilst the legislative framework is in place to require upgrading, the specific levels of upgrading are not explicit in the legislation. This “loophole” allows the interpretation, or misinterpretation, of upgrading strategies to take on many strategies (including some unsafe strategies).

Existing building upgrading strategies require the backing of fire modelling, reference materials, qualifications, experience and upgrading strategies that meet as closely as possible to the performance criteria of the BCA. These assessments and reports need the backup of adequate research and up to date fire safety and building product information.

It is highly unlikely that an existing building will meet the “Deemed to Satisfy” requirements of the building code of Australia. It would therefore be expected that upgrading be undertaken to some agreed “Alternative Upgrading Solution” that provides a BCA equivalent level of fire safety.

Given that upgrading is undertaken to an “alternative solution” it is incumbent on building owners and local government councils to ensure that their assessor is properly able to evolve alternative solution/s that will not reduce the levels of fire safety for occupants of a building.

Now that fire safety engineers have a formal means for accreditation, through BSAP in NSW, the qualifications and experience of fire safety engineers is in the building owners and councils best interest that this standard be maintained.

Adhoc unsupported upgrading solutions, by non-accredited practitioners, may not stand building owners or local government council in good stead in a coronal inquiry.

Engineered Fire & Safety Solutions can provide NSW accredited, fully qualified, experienced fire safety engineers and a fully supported fire safety upgrading inspection and reporting service to building owners and local government councils to ensure that the upgrading of existing buildings is undertaken in a professional and proper manner.

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