Fire Strategy
Why is a fire strategy important?
A fire strategy is a vital part of any building's fire safety, providing a clear framework for managing fire risks and ensuring compliance with current UK fire safety legislation. It sets out how a building is designed to prevent the spread of fire and smoke, protect occupants, support safe evacuation and, where appropriate, minimise damage to property.
A comprehensive fire strategy defines the performance requirements for essential passive fire protection measures, including fire compartmentation, fire doors, fire-stopping systems and other critical life-safety features. These requirements form the basis of ongoing fire safety management throughout the building’s lifecycle.
Fire strategy requirements
The Building Safety Act 2022 and the latest updates to the Building Regulations have strengthened the requirements for fire strategies, making them a key element of both new and existing developments. A fire strategy is now required for:
- All new-build developments
- Refurbishment and major alteration projects
- Existing High-Risk Residential Buildings (HRRBs) over 18 metres in height or seven storeys
In addition, revisions to Approved Document B and BS 9991:2024 mean that many residential refurbishment and alteration projects now also require a fire strategy to demonstrate compliance with current fire safety standards. Whether you’re planning a new development, upgrading an existing building or ensuring ongoing compliance, a professionally developed fire strategy provides the foundation for effective fire risk management, regulatory compliance and long-term safety.
Expert fire strategy services
A fire strategy should be prepared by an experienced and competent fire safety professional. At Azar, we work closely with clients from the outset, taking the time to understand each project and gather all the information needed to produce a clear, practical and fully compliant fire strategy.
If any documentation or technical details are missing, we’ll help you identify what’s required and work with your project team to develop the information needed. Our collaborative approach helps keep projects moving while ensuring your fire strategy is accurate, robust and aligned with current regulations.
The purpose of a fire strategy is to demonstrate how a building achieves an appropriate level of life safety and complies with the latest Building Regulations. Depending on the type and complexity of your project, we may develop the strategy using recognised guidance such as BS 9999, BS 9991:2024 or, where appropriate, a bespoke fire engineering approach.
What does a fire strategy report include?
A fire strategy report provides a comprehensive assessment of how a building will achieve compliance with UK fire safety legislation and support the safe evacuation of occupants in the event of a fire. Every report is tailored to the specific building and its intended use. Our reports typically include:
- Building layout assessment: review of the building layout against existing record drawings or proposed design drawings for new developments.
- Building characteristics: assessment of the building's size, height, construction and intended use.
- Occupant profile: consideration of who will use the building, occupancy levels and any specific evacuation requirements.
- Means of escape and fire warning systems: evaluation of escape routes, travel distances, emergency exits, and fire detection and alarm systems.
- Internal fire spread: assessment of measures designed to limit the spread of fire and smoke within the building.
- Fire compartmentation: review of fire-resistant walls, floors, fire doors and protected escape routes to maintain effective compartmentation.
- External fire spread: consideration of external wall construction and measures to reduce the risk of fire spreading between buildings.
- Fire and Rescue Service access: assessment of access routes and facilities to support emergency response.
- Fire safety management: recommendations for the ongoing management, maintenance and operation of fire safety systems.
- Passive and active fire protection systems: review of fire stopping, compartmentation, fire doors, fire detection, alarms, emergency lighting and smoke control systems.
Every fire strategy report is prepared by experienced fire safety professionals and is designed to support Building Regulations compliance, Building Control approval and the long-term safety of your building and its occupants.
Compartmentation drawings
Under our FIRAS scheme, we install to a current compartmentation drawing wherever possible, so the fire strategy and its compartmentation drawings give installers a clear, accurate basis for compliant work. Where a full fire strategy isn’t required, we can provide compartmentation drawings as a focused deliverable in their own right.