What is a fire risk assessment (FRA)?
In simple terms, an FRA is a regular safety check for your building. Its purpose is to spot potential fire hazards and create a plan to stop them from happening or keep people safe if they do. It also determines what precautionary measures should be taken.
Under the Fire Safety Order 2005 and subsequent regulations, we must ensure we’re managing our buildings safely.
This means every building must have a suitable FRA if:
- It’s a building with two or more homes that share an escape route
- It’s workplace with more than five employees.
We’ve a programme of over 6,000 buildings, and each one has a sufficient assessment. These are caried out by specialist fire consultants, Savills.
After every on‑site assessment, we publish an FRA report.
Our assessor advises us how often each building needs a review. Higher‑risk buildings are checked at least every 12 months.
How can I get a copy of my building’s FRA?
All current FRAs are available for residents to view and download.
We’re installing posters in every building with a shared communal area with a site specific QR code. By scanning the QR code, you’ll be able to access your building’s current FRA and fire safety information.
If your building doesn’t yet have a poster with a QR Code displayed, please get in touch and we’ll send you a copy. Please email firesafety.delivery@southernhousing.org.uk
Note: The FRA details all the findings from the day of the assessment and all actions are only completed once suitable evidence is provided
Frequently asked questions (FAQs)
In the letter or calling card you received about a fire inspection visit, you’ll find contact information for the contractor carrying out the appointment.
If you contact them directly they’ll be able to change your appointment to a more convenient time for you.
If you’re unable to find your letter or calling card please contact us.
Contact usPlease allow between 30 and 90 minutes for the appointment, it varies from home to home depending on the work that’s needed.
Please make sure you, or someone over 18 will be home at the time of the appointment. Please keep young children and pets away from the work area.
Finally, please check the ID of our engineer when they arrive, so you know who they are.
- Complete the essential safety work
- Identify anything further that’s needed and arrange for this to be completed at a future date
- Treat you and your home with courtesy and respect.
We’re legally required to carry out Fire Risk Assessments for all blocks of flats. We must also legally have a “Responsible Person” who’s accountable for the building’s fire safety.
The job of this person is to make sure all relevant fire safety tasks are carried out.
They make sure any necessary action is taken to prevent fires, or death or injury, if a fire takes place.
The responsible person must ensure a valid Fire Risk Assessment is made on your building.
The recent Fire Risk Assessment carried out in your building may have identified certain works, maintenance and repairs that are needed to reduce the risk of fire within your building.
We’re legally required to complete any actions following a Fire Risk Assessment.
Regulations, guidance and legislation changes over time.
What was acceptable 10 years ago (in building design and management), may no longer be considered appropriate now.
A Fire Risk Assessment will look the building, assess the risks and decide if upgrades, repairs or changes are needed to improve the level of safety.
Firestopping is the sealing of any openings to prevent fire, smoke, and heat from passing throughout a building.
The spread of fire is contained by creating fire resisting compartments (i.e. around a flat, or corridor etc.). Where cables and pipes pass through walls or ceilings there are often holes and gaps present.
The process of fire stopping seals these holes with fire resisting materials which minimises the spread of a fire within a building.
Passive fire protection is an important part of our fire safety strategy. It’s built into the structure of a building to protect lives and limit the damage to buildings and their contents. It does this by:
- Limiting the spread of fire and smoke by containing it in a single compartment
- Protecting escape routes for essential means of escape
- Protecting the building structure thereby ensuring it’s sustainability.
This is essential fire safety works and so it is crucial you give us access to complete the work.
We’ll always try and work with you to get dates and times that best fit.
If access is not granted, then we’ll follow a no access process which could lead to court action being taken against you.
We want our services to be as accessible as possible for you.
Please contact us to discuss what adjustments we could put in place to help you with this visit.
Contact usWe’ll leave a resident’s satisfaction survey card for you to complete when we visit.
Or, you can find out more about how to share feedback with us here on our website.
How to share your feedback with usWe encourage you to get in touch with us about anything you’re not happy with. We can use this information to learn and improve.
You can make a complaint by calling us, or visiting our complaints page.
Make a complaintThey are chosen from a list of approved contractors who have been rigorously checked before they can work for Southern Housing.
If you need this information in a different format such as a translation or audio version, please find details our our Accessibility page.
