On the 19th March 2020, the Home Office introduced a new fire safety bill to improve fire safety in certain residential premises. This bill received Royal Assent on the 29th April 2021 and is known as the Fire Safety Act 2021 (FSA 2021). Attached is a copy of the Act for your information.
The FSA 2021 makes amendment to article 6 of the RRFSO 2005 and focuses mainly on ensuring that apartment entrance doors and external wall systems (including balconies and windows) are a part of the common areas and therefore come under the RRFSO.
The FSA has received Royal Assent but is being held back until the Government produce guidance on how to apply the FSO to the prescribed features mentioned in the FSA plus how they will be enforced. We are a major part of the consultation and contribution process to these guides. There is no fixed date for issue but I believe it will be around the late autumn of 2021.
Fire risk assessors will need to adjust their templates accordingly.
The Institute will update members as soon as we have any more information about this important piece of legislation.
Bob Docherty
President and Chairman Technical Subgroup
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