Draft Fire Safety Guide for Building Owners and Operators

This draft code of practice has been developed as a result of the recommendations contained in Fire Safety in Ireland (2018) – the report of the Fire Safety Task Force, which was set up by the then Minister following the tragic Grenfell Tower fire in London in 2017.

This draft document has been prepared in response to a specific recommendation in the Task Force report. It is proposed that the code of practice be issued under Section 18A of the Fire Services Acts 1981 and 2003.

Section 18(2) of the Fire Services Acts 1981 and 2003 places a duty on persons having control over all types of premises other than a dwelling house occupied as a single dwelling. This duty is focused on the requirement to make reasonable provisions for occupant safety. It is expected that this Guide will be of assistance to building owners and operators in providing standard guidance and advise on the range of duties with respect to fire safety. Heretofore, there has been no general national standard guidance for building owners and operators; it is expected that provision of this Guide will introduce a recognised national approach which will assist in this regard.

This code of practice will provide a framework for the on-going management and maintenance of buildings with respect to fire safety. It will provide for clarity and consistency of approach, nationally in making reasonable provisions for occupant safety. It will compliment and provide updated guidance to the existing suite of guidance documents published by the Department. These guidance documents relate to specific building occupancies eg: flats, places of assembly and continue to offer relevant guidance.