FPAS Fire Safety Assessment (FSA) cheat sheet

FPAS accreditation is tiered by assessment scope: Fire Safety Assessor (FSA) accreditation covers assessment of existing buildings and fire protection systems against the applicable Building Code of Australia (BCA) fire safety provisions and relevant Australian Standards.

The competency pathway requires demonstrated technical knowledge (fire behaviour, BCA/NCC fire safety provisions, relevant standards), assessment skills, and a documented assessment report submitted for peer review.

Continuing professional development (CPD) is a condition of maintaining accreditation; record CPD activities with dates, hours, and relevance to fire safety assessment.

An FSA report must state the assessment scope, the version/edition of the BCA/NCC applied, the standards referenced, limitations, and the basis for each conclusion.

Independence and conflict-of-interest disclosure: the assessor must disclose any relationship with the building owner, designer, installer, or certifier that could affect objectivity.

Assessment evidence must be verifiable: record inspection dates, who was present, instruments used, and calibration status where measurements are relied on.

Where a matter is outside the assessor's competence (e.g., structural adequacy, specialist fire engineering), the report must identify it and recommend referral to a suitably qualified practitioner.

Confidentiality: client information and building security details are not disclosed without consent except where required by law or by the accreditation body's audit process.

Fire safety assessment is assessed against the BCA/NCC Performance Requirements, using either Deemed-to-Satisfy (DTS) Provisions or a Performance Solution; the assessor must identify which route the building relies on.

The BCA fire safety Performance Requirements are grouped as: structural stability (CP1), fire spread between buildings (CP2), fire spread within buildings (CP3), fire spread to exits (CP4), fire brigade access (CP5), fire brigade equipment (CP6), occupant evacuation (CP7), and fire safety system reliability (CP8).

Passive systems to verify: fire-resisting construction (FRL: structural adequacy / integrity / insulation), fire compartments and separations, fire doors and their self-closing and hold-open release, penetration seals, and service shafts.

Active systems to verify: automatic fire detection and alarm, sprinkler and other automatic suppression, hydrants and hose reels, portable extinguishers, emergency lighting, exit signage, and smoke control (smoke exhaust or pressure differential systems).

Means of egress assessment covers exit travel distances, number and width of exits, egress through fire-isolated stairs, discharge paths, and unobstructed clear width; verify against the DTS numbers for the building class.

Building classification (Class 1-9) and rise in storeys determine the applicable DTS requirements; verify the classification used matches actual occupancy and use.

Maintenance and reliability: check compliance with AS 1851 maintenance routines for fire protection systems, records of routine servicing, defects, and impairment handling.

Fire brigade intervention: verify vehicular access, hardstand, hydrant booster location and visibility, and fire control room/panel location and identification per the relevant DTS provisions.