Faq

Frequently Asked Questions

CERTIFICATION

CERTIFICATION

Certification Annual Fire Statement

What is an Annual Fire Safety Statement?

An Annual Fire Safety Statement (AFSS) is a statement that needs to be submitted to council and Fire and Rescue NSW certifying that all fire safety measures currently installed on site are working correctly and compliant to the relevant Australian Standard and Building Code of Australia requirement.

The AFSS is due to be submitted each year to council and Fire and Rescue NSW by the building owner or agent.

What are the changes for Annual Fire Safety Statements that took effect from the 1st October 2017?

In July 2017, the New South Wales Government announced a series of building regulation reforms, with a significant focus on fire safety. These reforms are based on an independent review of the Building Professionals Act 2005 known as the ‘Lambert Review’. The review highlighted some issues and deficiencies with the current system and recommendations for reform to strengthen and simplify the system. These regulations came into effect on the 1st October 2017.

What does this mean for Building Owners?

There are two significant changes for Building owners. These are as follows:

  • Building owners are required to use ‘Competent Fire Safety Practitioners (CFSP) for the assessment of essential fire safety measure performance for an Annual Fire Safety Statement. This requirement means that the Competent Fire Safety Practitioners (CFSP) are required to complete the annual fire safety statement documentation but do not sign it;
  • Paths of Travel must be inspected in all buildings for the Annual Fire Safety Statement;
  • Building owners are also required from the 1st December 2017 to use new standard forms as developed by the New South Wales Government to submit Annual Fire Safety Statements

What does this mean for Synergy Fire & Security Customers?

Synergy Fire & Security has welcomed these reforms by the New South Wales Government and the introduction of accreditation for fire safety companies and practitioners. As a Gold Member of the peak fire protection body, Fire Protection Association Australia (FPAA), we have been on the forefront of obtaining the most up to date information regarding the reforms and the necessary accreditation for our staff.

For Synergy Fire & Security’s Customers, we offer the following:

  • All testers and technicians currently have accreditation for Inspection and Test of essential fire safety measures;
  • The FPAA lists Synergy Fire & Security’s Certification and Compliance Division as ‘Competent Fire Safety Practitioners (CFSP)’ for the assessment and completion of Annual Fire Safety Statement documentation for owners and agents to sign.

MAINTENANCE

MAINTENANCE

Exit & Emergency Lights

Why are lights tested every six months?

By Australian Standard AS 2293.2 Exit and Emergency Lighting systems are required to be tested every six months by conducting a 90minute discharge test. The test simulates a loss of power to the unit and needs the battery to sustain a charge of 90 minutes to comply.

What happens if one of my fittings fails the 90min discharge test?

If a lighting fitting fails a 90-minute discharge test, it could be due to the battery, a component in the light or the entire fitting. It is more economical to replace the entire fitting than to investigate the reason why it has failed.

PORTABLE FIRE EXTINGUISHERS & FIRE BLANKETS

How often do my portable fire extinguishers and fire blankets need to be checked?

By Australian Standard AS 1851 – 2012, portable fire extinguishers and fire blankets are required to be inspected and tagged every six months. Different extinguisher types will have additional maintenance frequencies as per the standard, e.g. yearly recharge or five yearly pressure test.

How do I know to tell if my portable fire extinguisher or fire blanket was last inspected?

Each piece of equipment will have a yellow maintenance tag that looks like below that needs to be punched when inspection and test are undertaken:

Each number is punched next to the month and year for every inspection and certification. Each number corresponds to a frequency of service. Frequency guide is as below:
1 = Six Monthly
2 = Yearly
4 = Five Yearly Inspection

FIRE DOORS

What is a fire door?

Fire doors are part of passive fire protection system within a building. The fire door is intended to stop the spread of smoke and fire. So that building occupants can vacate the building safely. The doors are fire resistant door sets that consist of a door leaf, door frame and associated hardware including handles, closers etc. A compliant fire door should have a fire door tag on the door and door frame stating the following:

  • Who installed the door
  • Installation date
  • Compliance details

How often do fire doors need to be checked?

In accordance with Australian Standard AS 1851 – 2012, fire doors are required to be inspected every six months.

What gets checked during a fire door inspection?

Fire door inspections are carried out as per the requirements of AS 1851 – 2012. During the inspection, fire door testers will inspect the following:

  • Check for gaps: Check for gaps around the top, bottom and sides of the door to make sure that they are compliant to standards;
  • Check the seals: Check to see if there are any intumescent seals around the door or fame and if they are ok with no signs of damage;
  • Check the hinges: Are the hinges tightly fixed, nothing missing or if the hinge has been compromised;
  • Check the door closes correctly: Does the door close tightly and latch without sticking on the floor and frame.