What Is a Fire and Life Safety Assessment Report?

 

 

A fire and life safety assessment report is a comprehensive survey performed by experienced fire and life safety consultants for various reasons such as to evaluate the fire risk of a facility or to establish emergency response needs.

Reasons for a Fire and Life Safety Assessment Report

There are a few reasons why a facility would need the services of fire and life safety specialists for a risk assessment and report.   A fire and life safety survey may be recommended or required in the following situations:

 

●       General purpose

o   Establish fire risk

o   Establish emergency response needs

●       Class of use problems

o   Establish necessary protection due to change of materials or for specific codes

●       Building project evaluation

o   Demonstrate adequacy of existing facility and/or alternative designs

o   Demonstrate improvements in the facility’s fire safety

 The purpose and objectives of conducting the fire risk assessment should be identified and documented.  Based on any existing fire safety problems or objectives of the assessment, fire and life safety specialists will determine the method of conducting the assessment. The likelihood and consequences of fire scenarios will be evaluated.

Identify All Stakeholders in a Fire Risk Assessment

All stakeholders that have an interest in the fire and life safety risk assessment should be identified early in the assessment process.  Stakeholders include anyone who has a financial, regulatory, public, or personal safety interest, such as:

 

●       Regulators, Authority Having Jurisdiction (AHJ)

●       Property and facility owners

●       Employees

●       Investors

●       Insurers

●       Community members

●       Emergency responders

●       Neighbors

●       Tenants

 

These are examples of some of the stakeholders who have an interest in commercial fire and life safety assessments.  Your fire and life safety consultants will identify any steps in your fire and life safety assessment report that should involve the AHJ.

NFPA 551: Evaluation of Fire Risk Assessments

National Fire Protection Association, NFPA 551, is a Guide for the Evaluation of the Fire Risk Assessments, which gives assistance to evaluate the execution and appropriateness of a fire and life safety assessment report.  NFPA 551 serves as a guide for fire risk assessments related to any fire safety problem.  All applicable elements of NFPA 101 should be considered, as well as maintaining compliance to any existing city, state or local building and life safety ordinances. 

Some areas of interest when conducting a fire and life safety risk assessment report include:

●       Evaluating existing fire detection and suppression equipment

●       Notification equipment or mass notification systems

●       Emergency backup power supplies

●       Evacuation planning and procedures

●       Means of egress and compliance

●       Emergency procedures including internal training, drills and written protocols

●       General Storage and housekeeping procedures

Fire and life safety consultants, building owners, insurance professionals, AHJs and anyone who conducts a fire and life safety assessment report relies on NFPA 551 to identify various fire risk assessment methods. NFPA 551 helps all interested parties to confidently apply risk-informed decision making for fire and life safety.  Professionals conducting fire risk assessments will identify challenging or fire risk scenarios and develop appropriate recommendations.

HRSS Offers Fire and Life Safety Assessments in Chicago

High Rise Security Systems, HRSS, offers commercial fire and life safety assessment reports with decades of experience and expertise in all applicable city, local and state fire safety code regulations. Our team of experienced fire and life safety consultants go beyond code compliance to develop a customized fire and life safety plan for your unique building and activities.  With the well-known spectacular architecture of many properties in the Chicagoland area, building owners need experienced life safety systems experts who understand how to design a fire safety system to meet unique challenges. We help to keep many types of businesses and properties safe such as schools and campuses, hospitals, hotels and small businesses of all shapes and sizes.

HRSS is recognized as a leading fire and life safety systems consultant in the Chicagoland area, offering comprehensive services that save lives and protect what matters most.  We provide fire safety consultations, UL listed equipment, commercial fire alarm repair, testing, inspections, and monitoring 24/7/365.  Contact us with all your questions about the status of your fire safety and for a complete risk evaluation with a comprehensive fire and life safety assessment report.

This article was originally published at: https://hrsschicago.com/fire-alarm-inspection/what-is-a-fire-and-life-safety-assessment-report/