Fire Risk Assessment

Introduction

The Fire Sector Confederation and its predecessor the Fire Sector Federation has long been committed to improving the competence of fire risk assessors.  Through the leadership and partnership of our members, alongside many others across the built environment who share a common commitment to protecting life from fire, we have consistently supported the development of good practice in this vital area.

This reflects a period of determined Government action following the the Grenfell Tower Inquiry Phase 2 Report into the national tragedy, of 14 June 2017, in which 72 lives were lost. The Fire Sector Confederation welcomes and fully supports this direction of travel.

In light of these developments, all previous Fire Sector Confederation guidance has been withdrawn and replaced with the information set out on this page. Fire risk assessment is currently in a transitional period and some linked or quoted references may change as the new regulatory framework develops. It is the responsibility of the user to check that the information on those linked sources is valid and up to date.

The Grenfell Tower Legacy

The Government response to the Grenfell Tower Inquiry Phase 2 Report on the 26 February 2025 endorsed most of the Inquiry’s key recommendations. Central to this response was the clear positioning of competence and culture at the heart of the actions to be implemented.

The Inquiry made clear that competence must be demonstrable, capable of independent verification, and embedded within a culture that places the highest value on life safety. This culture should be founded on transparency, trust, honesty and integrity. By accepting Recommendation 26, the Government confirmed its intention legislate to mandate the independent verification of competence of fire risk assessors undertaking this the critical role.

As a result, fire risk assessors and all legally responsible duty holders are now entering a transitional period. During this time, the role, responsibilities and accountability of fire risk assessors will be subject to future regulation through a forthcoming mandatory framework.

These changes sit within a wider programme of regulatory reform across the built environment, including new regulatory oversight involving a Single Construction Regulator.  This work is being developed progressively and includes consideration of competence relationships between disciplines such as fire engineering. Further changes to the built environment safety regime are therefore likely.  

Competence Requirements

Ahead of these significant reforms, important groundwork has already been undertaken to raise standards and support good practice. This work has been supported by Fire Sector Confederation members BAFE, FIA, FPA, IFE, and IFSM, in partnership with the Government, the British Standards Institution, and the Industry Competency Steering Group (ISCG), which is itself accountable to the statutory Industry Competence Committee .

Together, this collaboration has produced important frameworks, standards and guidance to help improve competence across fire risk assessment.

Standards

The British Standard Institution (BSI) operates a Built Environment Competence Programme and a joint “competence hub” with ICSG that provides practical resources.  BSI also has a published series of competence and practice related British Standards. Three are particularly relevant to fire risk assessment:

  • BS 8674:2025 Built environment. Framework for competence of individual fire risk assessors. Code of practice.

Published on the 15 August 2025, this standard sets out a framework for assessing and assuring the competence of individual fire risk assessors operating in the built environment. It defines three levels of competence (Foundation – Intermediate – Advanced) and includes a model code of conduct along with the required skills, knowledge, experience and behaviour (SKEB).

Informative Annex ‘C’, within the Standard, helps explain the relationship between the competence levels and typical low and moderate building risk profiles.

  • PAS 79-1:2020 Fire risk assessment – Premises other than housing. Code of practice

Published on 31 December 2020, this document sets out the methodology for undertaking fire risk assessments in non-housing premises.

  • BS 9792:2025 Fire risk assessment. Housing. Code of practice

Published on 1 August 2025, this standard provides methodology for undertaking fire risk assessments in housing.

Taken together, these three standards provide practitioners with a robust and coherent foundation for fire risk assessment.

Advice and Guidance

Undertaking a Fire Risk Assessment is fundamental to life safety from fire. In almost all non-domestic premises, the person in control of a premise has a legal duty to ensure it is carried out.

Advice and guidance to support duty holders in meeting this responsibility is available from government and from competent organisations operating within the fire risk assessor sector. Professional consultancy services are also available to support those seeking specialist assistance.

The official guidance for dutyholders in England, legally responsible for undertaking a fire risk assessment, is provided by the UK Government. Specific national guidance is also available in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.  Fire safety during construction is addressed separately, with relevant advice provided by the Health and Safety Executive.

Choosing a Fire Risk Assessor

Where duty holders seek assistance, they must appoint someone competent and suitable to undertake their fire risk assessment. This requires a diligent approach.

Duty holders should consider how a fire risk assessor has gained their competence, as defined in BS 8674: 2025, and should verify relevance, currency, scope of qualifications, experience and references provided.

Importantly the appointment process should establish whether qualifications and claims of competence are independently verified by a recognised third party. Examples of such assurance include:

Registers, Certification and Awarding Organisations

Organisations that register individuals or companies against defined standards are:

 

 

*Note: the SP205 Scheme is independently audited by the National Security Inspectorate (NSI) and Security Systems and Alarms Inspection Board (SSAIB) to assure compliance to UKAS requirements.

 

There are also a number of Awarding Organisations, that award RFQ qualifications and approve Training Centres, within the fire risk assessor specialism. Examples include:

 

These and other organisations like the National Fire Chiefs Council (NFCC) and the UK Fire Protection Association (FPA), may also offer advice and assistance to duty holders seeking to appoint competent fire risk assessors.