A fire risk assessment tells you what the risks are. A fire safety policy or strategy tells the story of how those risks are managed: who is responsible, what evacuation approach the building uses, what fire-safety equipment is in place, and how the policy is reviewed. For higher-risk buildings the strategy is a statutory duty under the Building Safety Act 2022. For everyone else it is best practice that lenders, insurers, and prospective buyers increasingly expect.
The terminology is confusing because it has changed twice in five years. The principle is consistent: a written document showing how fire risks are actively managed.
"Fire safety policy", "fire safety strategy", "fire and emergency strategy" all refer to similar documents at different scales. Higher-risk buildings (18m+) require the most extensive: a strategy that forms part of the safety case submitted to the Building Safety Regulator. Smaller buildings can have a one-page management policy. Either way, the document is separate from the FRA.
The exact contents depend on the building. The list below covers the universal elements; higher-risk buildings need more.
Named individual or company who carries the FSO 2005 duties. For an SoF or RTM building this is typically the company.
For higher-risk buildings only. Named individual or company with personal duties under the Building Safety Act 2022.
Stay-put, simultaneous evacuation, or phased evacuation. The strategy must be documented and communicated to residents. The choice depends on the building's compartmentation and the FRA.
Personal Emergency Evacuation Plans for residents who need help evacuating. Required for higher-risk buildings under the new Residential PEEPs regulations 2026Require Responsible Persons to identify residents needing evacuation help and prepare individual plans. In force from April 2026. Residential PEEPs regs →.
Smoke detection, alarms, dry/wet risers, sprinklers, fire doors, AOVs (smoke vents). What is installed, who maintains it, and the inspection regime.
How fire safety information is given to residents (and new occupants). Required content includes the evacuation strategy and what to do if a fire breaks out.
The list of FRA-identified actions, who is responsible for closing each, and the target date. Outstanding actions left un-tracked are the most-cited compliance failure in inspections.
When the policy will next be reviewed (annually as a minimum) and what triggers an out-of-cycle review (e.g. building works, change of use, FRA refresh).
1. Confirm the building's category. Higher-risk (18m+ or 7+ storeys), relevant (11m+), or other. The category drives the depth of policy needed and which legislation applies.
2. Get the FRA. A current fire risk assessment is the foundation. If you do not have one or it is out of date, see fire-risk-assessment.html first.
3. Identify the Responsible Person and (for HRBs) the Accountable Person. Document the names. For company structures, this is the company itself; the directors carry the duty as officers of the company.
4. Set the evacuation strategy. Stay-put is the default for blocks built to current standards with full compartmentation. Simultaneous evacuation is required where compartmentation has failed (e.g. cladding remediation in progress). The FRA usually recommends which.
5. Document the equipment, the maintenance regime, and the FRA action tracker. Include the inspection cycle for each item: smoke detection (typically weekly or monthly checks), AOVs (annually), fire doors (annual inspection), dry/wet risers (annual or biannual).
6. Communicate to residents. Provide the evacuation strategy and the fire safety information in writing. For higher-risk buildings, this is now a statutory requirement under the Fire Safety (England) Regulations 2022.
7. Schedule the annual review. Diary the review, agree who attends (typically the directors plus the FRA assessor), and minute it.
Start simple. A two-page document with the elements above is better than nothing and is usually accepted as evidence of FSO 2005 compliance for non-higher-risk buildings. Higher-risk buildings need a fuller strategy that forms part of the safety case for the Building Safety Regulator. A specialist fire engineer or competent FRA assessor can draft it; expect a few hundred pounds for a smaller block, more for a larger one.
Start with the FRA, then the policy, then communicate to residents.
The FRA is the foundation of any fire safety policy. If you do not have one or it is overdue, start here.
Open the FRA guide →The audit checks both the FRA and the management arrangements (which the policy documents). Five minutes.
Run the audit →For a sequenced compliance plan covering the policy, FRA, and other statutory duties, get a written deliverable in 24 hours.
Talk to us →The Leasehold Advisory Service (LEASE) is the government-funded, independent body that provides free initial advice to leaseholders, RMC and RTM directors, and freeholders in England and Wales. They are the natural first call for anything statute-heavy.
The Building Trust assistant can route you to the right page, explain a clause, or get you started with LEASE-iQ. First question is free.
Want a written, clause-cited answer in 24 hours instead? Talk to us →