Fire Audits
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Fire Safety
Fire Safety BCA Compliance Audits
The Building Code of Australia details the physical aspects required in a building depending on the type of occupancy. For example, the Code provides design requirements on the correct level of fire detection and suppression for a particular building and other Essential Safety Measures.
The Building Code of Australia Compliance (BCA) Audit will assess the adequacy of the Essential Safety measures installed against the requirements of the BCA (eg. ‘insufficient fire hydrants for the floor area involved’). Fire Safety Audits also take into account the BCA requirements in terms of a benchmark, & identify site specific concerns which may not be detailed in the code (eg inappropriate storage of materials near heat sources, etc).
These types of audits will therefore identify any non compliances or specific fire safety risk issues allowing the organisation to rectify these issues in order to achieve compliance with the requirements of the BCA or reduce the risks on site.
Both a BCA Compliance Audit & a Fire Safety Audit will highlight any deficiencies in the Essential Safety Measures installed within a building as well as the design requirements defined in the BCA or other design document for the specific occupancy. Recommendations are provided to address identified deficiencies so that the building and its systems comply with the performance requirements of the BCA or other relevant document.
Fire Safety BCA Compliance Audit Services Include
Key elements of a BCA Compliance or a Fire Safety Audit to determining building deficiencies incorporates:
- A review of relevant documentation onsite (eg maintenance records, Certificates of Occupancy, etc).
- A ‘walk through’ inspection of the property to assess the adequacy of existing essential safety measures as documented in the BCA or other relevant document.
- Prepare a report describing our findings. Depending on clients’ needs we are able to provide a comprehensive report detailing the level of compliance and improvement recommendations to achieve compliance with the BCA or other relevant document, or we can prepare a report summarising our key findings and recommendations.
Fire Engineering Alternative Solutions
Sometimes it may be necessary to design/develop an alternative fire protection system or interface than that (traditionally) adopted by the Building Code of Australia (BCA).
Fire-Engineered (Alternative) Solutions should be reviewed by an independent group in order to provide assurance that all the conditions of the design criteria have been met. In many cases, Building Surveyors also suggest that Fire-Engineered (Alternative) Solutions go through a ‘peer’ review process by an independent group.
The Benefits of Beacon Consulting
Our Building Surveyor can provide fire engineered (Alternative) Solutions which could provide a means of ensuring adequate compliance with the BCA.
- Fire-Engineering (Alternative) Solutions can also provide:
- An assessment of fire safety in existing buildings.
- A basis for selecting appropriate fire protection systems.
- Guidance on the construction, commissioning, maintenance and management of fire safety systems.
For these reasons, it is important that an independent group assess the adequacy of the alternative solution in terms of the design intent.
- The Beacon Consulting Fire Engineering Services Include:
- A review the proposed Fire-Engineered (Alternative) solution
- Review the fire safety level of your building or proposed design in terms of the specific design criteria.
- Provide advice & guidance (as required) if aspects of the design do not appear to achieve the desired design criteria.
- Detail our assessment (& recommendations as required) of the reviewed Fire-Engineered (Alternative) Solutions in a report.