AS1851 & NSW Legislative Requirements
The Environmental Planning & Assessment Regulation 2000 is the legislative framework for the Annual Fire Safety Statement (AFSS).
The AFSS requires building owner(s) issue a statement that the essential fire safety measures, pertaining to their building, have been assessed by an Accredited Practitioner (Fire Safety), and when assessed, found capable of performing to a standard as detailed in the fire safety schedule or where applicable otherwise, to a standard no less than to which the measure was designed and implemented to, also referred to the ‘minimum standard of performance’ or sometimes known as the ‘performance requirements’.
AS1851 is the Australian Standard for the Routine Service of fire protection systems and equipment. In NSW, AS1851 is technically a voluntary standard as it is not legislated, nor is it a primary or secondary referenced document in the Building Code of Australia (BCA). AS1851 tables a series of checks compliance requirements of 13 individual or groups of fire safety systems and equipment in contrast to the 32 statutory fire safety measures. AS 1851 is, to date, the most comprehensive formally documented standard for this process. Although AS1851 is generally accepted throughout the Fire Protection Industry as the primary method for service, inspection, test, maintenance and ultimately the performance of a fire protection system or fire protection equipment. It should be noted that it may, in some cases not be sufficient enough to constitute performance in relation to the AFSS.
This is subject to the particulate fire safety measure, it’s minimum standard of performance, and the building characteristics. Therefore, additional assessments at the time your AFSS is due (i.e. on the annual frequency) may be required for your fire contractor/Accredited Practitioner (Fire Safety) to suitably endorse the fire safety measure.
Other aspects of AS1851, such as defect classification, may also not correlate with meeting the minimum standard of performance. The defects identified by Primal Systems have been categorised in accordance with the relevant framework of the Australian Standard, AS1851. Providing a prioritising method for defect rectification to assist you, the client in addressing each defect.
It should be noted that the building owner is responsible to ensure ALL fire safety measures are capable of performing to the relevant standard of performance in accordance with the Environmental Planning and Assessment (EP&A) Reg 2000, Division 5 Fire Safety Statements clauses 175 through 181. However, the EP&A Reg does not distinguish a hierarchy or defect classification, meaning ALL non-compliances are to be rectified in order to meet the Annual Fire Safety Statement (AFSS) requirements.
When Primal Systems is acting as your Accredited Practitioner (Fire Safety), the endorsement of a fire safety measure for the AFSS may be delayed where defects are identified.
