Commercial Office Fire Safety — A 12-Point Compliance Checklist
Most commercial offices are between annual FRA reviews and assume "it was OK last year". This 12-point checklist is what we use on the first walk of any new commercial site.
The 12-point walk
This is the checklist any competent fire safety adviser uses on first walking a commercial office. Run through it on yours.
1. FRA current and signed
Date within last 12 months. Signed by an NFRAR-registered assessor. Action plan attached with closure evidence on closed items.
2. Weekly fire alarm test logbook
Last test within 7 days. Different call point each week. Pattern reaches every call point in rotation.
3. Six-monthly alarm service certificate
Last service within 6 months. From a competent BAFE SP203-1 / FIA-aligned provider.
4. Monthly emergency lighting test
Logbook entry within last 30 days. Last 3-hour annual discharge test within 12 months.
5. Annual extinguisher service
Service labels in date on every extinguisher. Monthly user check logbook current.
6. Fire doors on every escape route and protected zone
Self-closers fitted and working. Intumescent strips present and undamaged. No gaps over 4 mm. Not wedged open.
7. Means of escape unobstructed
Every escape route clear from desk to final exit. No storage on staircases, in lobbies or in front of doors. Exit doors openable without keys.
8. Signage compliant with ISO 7010
Photoluminescent running-man signs on every escape door. Fire action notices at every call point. No conflicting or obsolete signage.
9. Compartmentation around lift motor rooms, server rooms and plant rooms
Door is FD60 or FD120 as specified. Penetrations sealed. Hold-open devices not fitted unless linked to alarm.
10. Visitor and contractor sign-in
Every contractor signed in with PPE check and induction. Every visitor accounted for in the assembly headcount.
11. PEEPs in place for known mobility-impaired occupants
A PEEP for any staff member or regular visitor who cannot evacuate unaided. Generic Evacuation Plan available for unknown visitors.
12. Last drill within 12 months
Date of last drill recorded. Time-to-evacuate logged. Any issues recorded and addressed.
The "easy wins" most offices get wrong
In our experience, the cheapest improvements that catch out most offices:
- Wedged-open fire doors — biggest single defect category. Fix with hold-open devices linked to alarm if doors must remain open.
- Cluttered escape routes — usually solvable in a single tidy-up
- Out-of-date extinguisher service labels — annual service is cheap; doing it consistently is not
- Missing PEEPs — five minutes to write per affected person
Annual cycle
A sensible annual fire safety cycle for a commercial office:
- January — FRA review (annual)
- February — Drill
- March — Emergency lighting 3-hour discharge test
- April-September — Two alarm services
- Ongoing monthly — emergency lighting function test, extinguisher user check
- Ongoing weekly — alarm test
MetroFire delivers PPM contracts that automate the entire commercial office fire safety cycle. Book a discovery call.
