New fire safety regulations for multi-occupied residential buildings to come into force

Warwickshire Fire and Rescue Service is urging owners and managers of multi-occupied residential buildings in the County to make sure they understand new fire safety regulations.

The Fire Safety (England) Regulations 2022 are being introduced next week - from 23 January 2023 - and are designed to keep the residents of multi-occupied residential buildings safe from the risk of fire.

These regulations are the next stage of new fire safety legislation that has been introduced as a result of the Grenfell Tower Inquiry, which was established following the devastating Grenfell Tower Fire in 2017. It follows the Fire Safety Act 2021, which came into force in early 2022.

The new regulations apply to all multi-occupied residential buildings that contain two or more sets of domestic residences, including mixed-use buildings such as flats above business premises. Responsible persons of these buildings must:

• Provide residents with relevant information about fire doors and their importance in the role of fire safety
• Provide fire safety instructions and place them in a visible part of the building. These instructions should cover the following: the evacuation strategy of the building, instructions on how to report a fire (e.g. calling 999, the correct address to give the fire and rescue service), plus any other instruction that tells residents what they must do when a fire has occurred.

The regulations also apply to multi-occupied residential buildings which are high-rise buildings, at least seven storeys and/or 18 metres in height. Responsible persons of such buildings now have to meet a number of requirements, including:

• Providing the local fire and rescue service with detailed floor and building plans, in electronic form and in hard copies stored on-site in secure information boxes
• Advising the fire and rescue service of any faults to firefighting equipment and lifts
• Providing details of the building's external wall construction the fire service via the online reporting tool.

Warwickshire County Councillor, Portfolio Holder for Community Safety and Fire, Andy Crump said: "Warwickshire Fire and Rescue Service welcomes the commencement of the Fire Safety Act and the implementation of the new regulations, which are important steps improving fire safety for residents across Warwickshire and beyond.

"We're encouraging Responsible Persons - that's usually the owner, site manager or occupier of the premises, who is responsible for ensuring and maintaining correct fire safety and procedures - to familiarise themselves with these regulations prior to January 23 and prepare for the changes being brought in.

"I would encourage all responsible persons of multi-occupied residential buildings to work with Warwickshire Fire and Rescue Service to ensure their buildings comply to the regulations."

For more information on the new regulations and what they might mean for you, visit our site at https://www.warwickshire.gov.uk/building-safety-information-upload.

A set of FAQ's about the new regulations can be found on the National Fire Chiefs Council's website: https://www.nationalfirechiefs.org.uk/Frequently-Asked-Questions.

You can also read the full guidance from the Home Office here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/fire-safety-england-regulations-2022