Fire & Safety

Essential services are fire safety measures that are provided within a building to reduce the risk to people and property in the event of a fire or emergency.

They may include things such as sprinkler systems, hose reels, fire alarms, smoke detectors and more.

The installation of essential services within buildings is required under the provisions of the Building Code of Australia. The installation and certification of essential services is enforced under the provisions of the Environmental Planning and Assessment Regulation 2000.

Council may require the installation of essential services outside the scope of the Building Code where circumstances warrant such action in the interest of life or property safety.

Smoke Detectors

The installation of wired in smoke detectors is now compulsory in all new dwellings and in dwelling additions. All Development Applications must include details of where smoke detectors are to be located in accordance with the requirements of Part 3.7.2 of the Building Code of Australia and Australian Standard 3786. 

Smoke alarms are to comply with design and installation requirements of Australian Standard 3786 and be connected to the mains power supply with a standby power supply (battery back-up).

Exisiting dwellings now also need to be fitted with smoke detectors. The location of the smoke detectors must comply with the requirements of AS3786 and the BCA. They may be battery-powered or hard-wired.

Essential Services within Existing Buildings

Essential services within existing buildings are required to be inspected and certified on a yearly basis in accordance with the requirements of the Environmental Planning and Assessment Regulation 2000.

Owners of existing buildings are required to engage a competent person or persons in order to check the design standards to which the essential services were installed and to ensure that the services are capable of operating in accordance with those standards.

Every twelve months an annual fire safety certificate (maintenance certificate) indicating that the particular essential service is being maintained and has been inspected must be prepared in the appropriate format and forwarded to Council.

Legal Responsibilities of Building Owners

It is an offence to make a false statement or to fail to submit the Certificates within the prescribed time. Further, you may be liable under common law if you do not ensure that the persons that you rely on for inspecting the services are acting within their level of competency or if you fail to maintain the services and it can be shown that this has led to an injury, loss or death.

It is important to note that Annual Fire Safety Certificates can only be signed by the owner of a building or by his or her agent and not by the 'competent' person or persons certifying the essential service/s.