Extinguishers, alarms, emergency lighting and fire doors, serviced and signed off.
Run fire safety servicing and risk assessments to RRO 2005, BS 5306, BS 5839 and BS 5266, with recurring schedules and instant certificates.
Quick answer
Fire safety compliance means managing the premises so people can escape safely and fire risks are controlled. In England and Wales it is centred on the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 and GOV.UK workplace fire safety guidance. The responsible person must assess fire risks, maintain precautions, provide information and training, plan for emergencies and keep evidence.
The duty falls on the responsible person, usually the employer, owner, landlord, occupier or anyone else with control of the premises. In shared buildings there may be more than one responsible person, and they must cooperate so fire safety arrangements work across the whole premises.
Fire risk assessments should be reviewed regularly and whenever the premises, people, use or risks change. Related checks vary by system: fire alarms, emergency lighting, extinguishers and fire doors each need routine inspection, testing and servicing according to the relevant standards and risk assessment.
Keep the fire risk assessment, action plan, fire alarm and emergency lighting test records, extinguisher service records, fire door checks, evacuation plans, drill records and staff training evidence. Records should show risks were identified, controls were maintained and overdue actions were closed.
CertFlow brings fire risk assessments, fire-door checks, alarm tests, extinguisher servicing and remedial actions into one compliance register. Inspectors can complete mobile checklists with photos and signatures, schedule recurring checks, issue branded reports and keep a timestamped audit trail by site, asset and responsible person.
The duty
The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 places a legal duty on the responsible person to carry out a fire risk assessment and maintain fire-safety provisions. Servicing of extinguishers (BS 5306), alarms (BS 5839) and emergency lighting (BS 5266) underpins that duty.
CertFlow runs every fire asset on a service schedule, captures monthly and annual checks on mobile, and produces the certificates that prove the building is protected.
Your legal duties
The responsible person must carry out a suitable and sufficient fire risk assessment, record it in full, and keep it under review. Since October 2023 the assessment must be written down regardless of the size of the business.
Fire detection and alarm systems, emergency lighting, extinguishers, fire doors and signage must be kept in efficient working order, with servicing to the relevant British Standards.
Escape routes and exits must be kept clear, adequate and clearly signed, and an emergency plan put in place with evacuation procedures, drills and staff training.
Records of assessments, servicing, tests and training must be kept, and a competent person appointed to help the responsible person meet their fire-safety duties.
How CertFlow handles it
Fire Safety runs on the same platform as every other discipline, so the workflow, the registry and the audit trail are identical, whatever your team inspects.
A built-in RRO 2005 report template, plus a drag-and-drop builder and bespoke PDF overlay for any client-specific form.
Put every fire safety asset on a recurring examination cycle. CertFlow generates the jobs and warns you before anything falls due.
Readings, photos and signatures are captured in the field on mobile, fully offline, and sync the moment a connection returns.
Every fire safety certificate is filed in a searchable, exportable compliance registry with a full timestamped history.
From the field
The defects and gaps that come up again and again on fire safety inspections, the ones a good system helps you catch before an auditor does.
Why it matters
Fire safety is enforced by the local fire and rescue authority under the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005. Failings can bring enforcement and prohibition notices, prosecution, unlimited fines and, in the most serious cases, imprisonment.
Free download: the Fire Safety duty-holder guide HR Fire & Safety 24,000 assets managed on CertFlowQuestions
Usually the employer, building owner, landlord or managing agent who has control of the premises. In multi-occupied buildings there can be more than one responsible person, who must cooperate and coordinate with each other.
Extinguishers are serviced annually under BS 5306, fire alarms quarterly and annually under BS 5839, and emergency lighting has a monthly function test and an annual full-duration test under BS 5266. Fire doors should be checked at least every six months.
Yes. Since the Fire Safety (England) Regulations came into force in October 2023, all responsible persons must record their fire risk assessment in full, whatever the size of the premises.
CertFlow runs every fire asset on a service schedule, captures monthly and annual checks on mobile, stores the fire risk assessment, and produces the certificates that prove the building is protected.
Yes. Fire doors are held as assets with their own inspection schedule and history, so quarterly and six-monthly checks are logged and evidenced.
Further reading
What the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 requires of the responsible person, in plain English.
References
Links to primary UK legislation and official regulator guidance. CertFlow is independent and not affiliated with these bodies.
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Customers
CertFlow has taken the admin headache out of servicing. We can see exactly what is due, who is due to do it and where every asset sits, and certificates go out the same day. After nearly fifty years in fire safety, it is the first system that actually fits how we work.
See it on your data
We'll set up a live environment with your asset types and branding, then walk you through a RRO 2005 job end to end.
Get started
See CertFlow on your own data in a 20-minute demo, or start a free trial today.
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