How the Fire and Rescue Service Audits Your Fire Risk Assessment

For many Responsible Persons and duty holders under the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005, an inspection by the Fire and Rescue Service (FRS) can feel daunting. Unlike an internal review or consultancy check, an FRS audit is a formal fire safety inspection carried out under statutory powers to assess compliance with the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005.

The Fire and Rescue Service — often referred to as the fire brigade — is the enforcing authority responsible for carrying out fire safety inspections under the Fire Safety Order.

Understanding how a Fire Risk Assessment is scrutinised during a Fire and Rescue Service audit — what inspectors look for, how documentation is evaluated, and what leads to enforcement under the Fire Safety Order — is essential for demonstrating compliance and reducing regulatory risk.

A Fire and Rescue Service audit is often referred to as a fire service inspection and forms part of routine fire safety enforcement activity.

This article explains how the Fire and Rescue Service audits your Fire Risk Assessment, what inspectors assess during an inspection, the possible audit outcomes, and how to ensure your documentation stands up to regulatory scrutiny.

What Is a Fire and Rescue Service Audit?

A Fire and Rescue Service audit is an official inspection of your fire risk assessment and associated fire safety records. Often referred to as a fire safety audit or fire service inspection, it is carried out to determine whether your Fire Risk Assessment complies with the legal requirements of the Fire Safety Order. It typically occurs:

• As a planned audit of buildings in your area
• Following a fire incident or referral
• After a complaint or third-party concern
• During routine fire safety enforcement activity

The aim is to check whether the Responsible Person has:

• Identified fire hazards
• Assessed risk appropriately
• Implemented suitable and sufficient fire precautions
• Maintained records and documentation
• Demonstrated effective management arrangements

Under the Fire Safety Order, Responsible Persons have a legal duty to ensure that Fire Risk Assessments are suitable and sufficient and that fire precautions are properly implemented and maintained. When the FRS audits those documents, they are effectively checking that you have taken reasonable and proportionate steps to manage fire risk.

Legal Powers of the Fire and Rescue Service

Authorised officers of the Fire and Rescue Service exercise statutory powers under the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005. These powers allow inspectors to assess whether the Responsible Person is complying with their legal duties.

They may:

• Enter premises at reasonable times
• Require the production of documents and records
• Take copies of fire safety documentation
• Carry out inspections, measurements and tests
• Interview relevant persons
• Issue Enforcement, Prohibition or Alterations Notices where serious deficiencies are identified

Authorised officers exercise powers under Article 27 of the Fire Safety Order, which sets out their authority to enter premises, inspect and request documentation.

These powers are used to determine whether fire safety arrangements are suitable, sufficient and properly maintained in accordance with fire safety legislation.

What Inspectors Look For in a Fire Risk Assessment

Here’s what Fire and Rescue Service auditors typically evaluate:

1. Suitability and Sufficiency

Inspectors expect assessments to be tailored to the building, not generic checklists.
They check that the report:

• Clearly identifies hazards
• Assesses risk for relevant persons
• Specifies control measures
• Records justifications for conclusions

Generic wording, boilerplate conclusions or unreferenced statements are red flags.

Inspectors will assess whether the Fire Risk Assessment demonstrates a structured methodology, appropriate risk evaluation and evidence-based conclusions.

2. Evidence of Actual Inspection

An audit will check whether:

• The assessor visited the building
• Measurements were taken
• Door sets were tested
• Compartment boundaries were walked and verified
• Fire safety systems were inspected

If the assessment is based on assumptions or outdated information, it will be challenged.

3. Fire Safety Control Measures Documentation

Inspectors will verify that your risk assessment aligns with real world controls:

• Fire detection & alarm systems
• Emergency lighting records
• Fire doors (inspection records)
• Compartmentation survey results
• Escape route conditions
• Signage and exit route maintenance

Each of these must be documented with dates, results and actions taken.

4. Remedial Action Tracking

One of the most common audit failings is poor remedial action management.

Inspectors will look for:

• Clear action lists
• Assigned responsibilities
• Priority and risk ranking
• Completion evidence
• Re-inspection outcomes

If raised actions are not tracked and closed properly, the audit score drops fast.

5. Review Frequency & Triggers

FRS auditors check whether your assessment has been:

• Reviewed after significant changes
• Updated following incidents
• Revised after new guidance or regulation
• Re-evaluated when tenant profiles change

A risk assessment with no review mechanism is a compliance weak point.

What Happens During an FRS Audit Visit?

In practice, a Fire and Rescue Service audit usually involves both a documentation review and a physical inspection of the premises.

An inspection visit may include:

• An opening discussion with the Responsible Person
• A review of the current Fire Risk Assessment
• A walkthrough of common parts and escape routes
• Spot checks of fire doors and compartmentation
• Visual checks of alarm panels, emergency lighting and signage
• Examination of maintenance and testing records
• Discussion of outstanding or completed remedial actions

Inspectors will often compare the written Fire Risk Assessment against actual site conditions to confirm that it accurately reflects the building’s current fire safety arrangements.

Audit Documentation: What You Should Have Ready

An FRS inspector will expect to see:

• A current, suitable and sufficient fire risk assessment
• Version control and review history
• Fire safety policy and governance records
• Action lists with completion records
• System testing and maintenance logs
• Fire door inspection records
• Compartmentation and passive fire protection surveys
• Evacuation strategy documentation where applicable (for example, stay-put or simultaneous evacuation policies)
• Evidence of training and staff competence
• Resident communication records

If any of these are missing, incomplete or unclear, the audit will highlight deficiencies.

Common Weaknesses That Auditors Flag

Here are issues that consistently trigger FRS corrective action or enforcement:

• “Suitable and sufficient” is just stated — not demonstrated
• No evidence the assessor visited the building
• Outdated fire door inspection records
• Fire compartment breaches not properly documented
• No tracking of remedial actions
• No defined review triggers
• Evacuation strategy assumptions that are not clearly justified within the Fire Risk Assessment
• No governance review or sign-off
• Confusion between FRA and other documents (e.g. fire strategies)

Fire Risk Assessment Audit Outcomes

Following a Fire and Rescue Service audit, the outcome will depend on the level of compliance identified during the inspection.

In many cases, where fire safety arrangements are considered suitable and sufficient, the inspection may conclude with no further action required. The enforcing authority may simply confirm compliance or make minor advisory recommendations.

Where deficiencies are identified, outcomes may include:

Informal Action

For lower-level issues, inspectors may provide verbal advice or written recommendations. Although informal, these comments should still be addressed promptly, as they may be reviewed during future fire safety inspections.

Enforcement Notice

An Enforcement Notice requires the Responsible Person to remedy specific breaches of the Fire Safety Order within a defined timeframe. The notice will set out:

• The nature of the deficiencies
• The legal provisions breached
• The measures required to achieve compliance
• The deadline for completion

Failure to comply with an Enforcement Notice is a criminal offence.

Prohibition Notice

Where inspectors believe there is a serious risk to relevant persons, a Prohibition Notice may be issued. This can restrict or prohibit the use of part or all of the premises until the risk is addressed.

A Prohibition Notice can take immediate effect where necessary to protect life.

Alterations Notice

In higher-risk premises, the Fire and Rescue Service may issue an Alterations Notice requiring the Responsible Person to notify the enforcing authority before making specified changes that could increase fire risk.

Prosecution

In cases of serious or persistent non-compliance, or where notices are ignored, enforcement may escalate to prosecution. Courts may impose substantial fines and, in severe cases, custodial sentences.

The outcome of a fire safety audit is ultimately determined by whether the Fire Risk Assessment is genuinely suitable and sufficient and whether fire precautions are properly implemented, maintained and evidenced. Clear documentation and structured management systems significantly reduce the likelihood of enforcement action.

How to Prepare Your Fire Risk Assessment for an FRS Audit

Here is a practical fire safety audit checklist to help you prepare for a Fire and Rescue Service inspection and demonstrate compliance under the Fire Safety Order:

Keep Everything Version-Controlled

Use dates, version numbers and sign-offs.

Link Evidence to Findings

Don’t just state conclusions — show the evidence.

Maintain Clear Remedial Records

Logs should show identification → prioritisation → closure → verification.

Review After Change

Create standard procedures triggered by:

• Building works
• Occupancy changes
• Fire incidents
• New regulatory requirements

Store Documents Centrally

Use a digital repository that can be accessed quickly.

Train Responsible Persons and Staff

Auditors will check whether compliance is embedded organisation-wide.

Final Thoughts

FRS audits are not intended to catch organisations out — they are designed to confirm that duty holders are fulfilling their legal obligations.

However, without clearly documented, evidence-based fire risk assessments and management systems, even well-intentioned organisations can fall short.

By understanding how the Fire and Rescue Service audits your fire risk assessment — and by preparing suitably — you reduce regulatory risk, reinforce safety outcomes and demonstrate strong fire safety compliance and organisational governance.

Frequently Asked Questions

What powers does the Fire and Rescue Service have when auditing a Fire Risk Assessment?

Under the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005, authorised officers of the Fire and Rescue Service have the power to enter premises, inspect fire safety measures, request documentation, and assess whether the Responsible Person is complying with their duties.

If significant deficiencies are found, they may issue enforcement or prohibition notices and require corrective action within a specified timeframe.

How often does the Fire and Rescue Service audit premises?

There is no fixed national frequency. Audits are typically risk-based and may occur:

• As part of planned inspection programmes
• Following a fire incident
• After complaints or referrals
• Where previous deficiencies have been identified

Higher-risk premises are more likely to receive periodic inspection.

Can the Fire and Rescue Service audit my building without notice?

Yes. Authorised officers may carry out inspections without prior notice, particularly where there is reason to believe there may be serious risk.

In many cases, however, planned audits are arranged in advance.

What happens if my Fire Risk Assessment is not considered “suitable and sufficient”?

If an assessment is judged inadequate, the Fire and Rescue Service may require it to be reviewed and updated.

Where deficiencies are significant or pose serious risk, enforcement action may follow. The Responsible Person remains legally accountable for ensuring compliance.

What is the most common reason Fire Risk Assessments fail audit?

Common failings include:

• Generic or template-based assessments
• Poor remedial action tracking
• Outdated inspection records
• Lack of evidence to support conclusions
• Failure to review after significant changes

A Fire Risk Assessment must demonstrate structured, evidence-based reasoning — not just compliance statements.

Do inspectors look at documents beyond the Fire Risk Assessment itself?

Yes. Auditors will typically review supporting documentation, including:

• Maintenance and testing records
• Fire door and compartmentation inspections
• Emergency lighting and alarm logs
• Training records
• Governance and review procedures

The Fire Risk Assessment must align with real-world evidence.