WHAT DOES IT MEAN
In a nutshell, the OWNER and the OCCUPIER and the MANAGING ENTITY (Strata Manager, Owner’s Corporation, Body Corporate, Real Estate Agent) are all PCBU’s on a commercial complex (and all strata complexes in Queensland)
MUST:
- Have fire safety audit on the complex and/or individual unit/shed/office
- Develop a Building Fire and Evacuation Plan
- How to evacuate the building
- Who is responsible to manage the evacuation
- Identify any persons who require assistance to evacuate the building
- How to alert people that there is an emergency
- Where should people evacuate to
- Develop and install evacuation diagrams that are specific to the exact location that the diagram is fixed. ie: facing the correct way, etc
- Train people in evacuating the building each year
- Train people in the use of fire equipment each 2 years
- Keep all records for 2 years
- Re-assess the plan each year
- Officially appoint a Fire Safety Advisor if there are more than 30 people employed or the building is greater than 25 meters high
The Managing Entity, MUST
- Develop Fire and Evacuation Plans for the common areas of the complex. (from the front door of each separate unit/business to the place of safety).
- Make sure all secondary occupiers have Fire and Evacuation Plans developed that match the plan developed by the Managing Entity
WHY DO IT
- There are heavy fines for non compliance
- The Fire Service will inspect all properties at some stage
- You have a duty of care under the Workplace Health and Safety Act
- If someone dies from a fire, you will be fined and most likely go to jail
FINES
Fines are cumulative and by the individual person, and the occupier, and the Managing Entity. That is, each item below will affect each of these persons, so the fine can be apportioned to each and are applied for each item or defect.
WHAT DO YOU GET FROM QBM
- We handle it all for you and take full responsibility
- We are trained Fire Safety Advisors
- We are fully insured to do this work
- Prepare the Motions and Quotes specific to the complex
- Provide letter to send to tenants and staff concerning evacuation processes
- Undertake a full and detailed audit of the whole complex
- Work with the on-site contact person to develop specific procedures and processes required in the Fire and Evacuation Plan
- Develop “position specific” Evacuation Diagrams
- Installation of diagrams to common areas (body Corporate only)
- Supply of evacuation diagrams for individual units if Holiday rental complex
- Training of emergency personnel in evacuation procedures
- Full use of On-Line training programs by all owners, staff and tenants
- Full storage of documents and use of On-line resources including required record keeping
- Guaranteed prices for on-going yearly re-assessments
- Optional resources for Property Managers to meet their legal obligations including training programs, check sheets and sign-in forms to meet your legal obligations
- Optional safety kits for new tenants or employees to meet your legal obligations
WHAT YOU NEED TO SUPPLY
To fully develop the Fire and Evacuation Plan to comply with your legal requirements, a number of documents are required to be kept with the plan. These include those listed below. If you cannot provide these documents, QBM can attempt to source them from the Local Authority. Costs will be incurred to obtain these documents if you do not have them on file.
- Building Certificate of Classification
- Building Certification under Alternative Solution
- Copy of APPROVED building plans and Conditions
- List of Required Fire Safety installations
- List of Special Fire Services
- CMS with plans
Q & A
Do I need a Fire Safety Adviser?
A Fire Safety Adviser is required in a high occupancy building as per the Qld Building Fire Safety Regulation 2008.
What is a high occupancy building?
A high occupancy building is defined by the Qld Building Fire Safety Regulation 2008 as one of the following:
- a class 2 or 3 building more than 25m high;
- a class 2, 3, 5, 6, 7b, 8, 9a, or 9b building that is a workplace- (i) prescribed under the Workplace Health and Safety Regulation 2008, section 56; and (ii) where 30 or more workers are normally employed within the meaning of the Workplace Health and Safety Act 1995, section 93(5); or
- a class 6 or 9b building that the commissioner has decided is an at risk licensed building under section 104KD of the Fire Service Act.
We are an aged care facility. Do we need a Fire Safety Adviser?
A Fire Safety Adviser is required in Class 9a and 9b buildings. Class 9c buildings do not require a Fire Safety Adviser. You will need to find out which class of building you are in to determine whether or not you require a Fire Safety Adviser.
We manage a shopping centre. Do we need to have a Fire Safety Adviser?
The Qld Building Fire Safety Regulation requires a Fire Safety Adviser to be appointed where there are 30 or more workers (not employees). It is opinion that managing entities within shopping centres which comprise of more than 30 workers are required to appoint a Fire Safety Adviser.
Do I need evacuation signs/plans?
Yes. Evacuation plans are a requirement of the Qld Building Fire Safety Regulation 2008.
How many evacuation signs/plans do I need, and where do I put them?
Evacuation signs must be located in conspicuous positions along paths of egress (escape).
Do my staff need fire extinguisher training?
Yes. Fire extinguisher instruction is required for all staff every two years. In high occupancy buildings, this instruction must be given by a Fire Safety Adviser or an RTO (Registered Training Organisation).
Do my staff need Warden training?
Yes. Warden (Emergency Control Organisation/ ECO) training is required once per year. In high occupancy buildings, this training must be given by a Fire Safety Adviser or a person appointed by the Fire Safety Adviser.
How many Wardens do I need?
The number of Wardens (Emergency Control Organisation/ ECO members) appointed for a building must be determined by a risk analysis of the building, which includes analysis of the layout of the building and the number of staff within the building during operating hours. There are no solid rules on determining the number of Wardens for a building. A suitable number of Wardens must be appointed to the ECO to ensure that their duties may be carried out effectively.
What sort of training do I have to give my staff (ie induction and staff session training)?
All staff within a building must be given the following instruction:
- induction training (general evacuation instructions) once per year;
- fire extinguisher training (first-response evacuation instruction) once every two years; and
- evacuation practice once per year.
What is general evacuation instruction?
Instructions about:
- the location of the fire safety reference points for the building (ie. location of exits, WIP phones, manual call points or emergency alarm buttons, fire extinguishers, hose reels and blankets, the designated assembly area/s and how to get to the designated assembly area/s); and
- the procedures for evacuating the building safely in the event of a fire or hazardous materials emergency.
What is first-response evacuation instruction?
Training about the method of operation of manually operated fire alarms and fire fighting equipment (fire extinguishers, hose reels, fire blankets) in the building.
What is evacuation coordination instruction?
Instructions on procedures for:
- alerting and communicating with people in the building;
- alerting the fire service, including using manually operated fire alarms;
- evacuating people with special needs, members of the public and other people in the building to a designated assembly area;
- checking whether all people have been evacuated from the building;
- informing the Evacuation Coordinator of the number of people evacuated and those not accounted for; and
- meeting the fire brigade.
What is an Evacuation Coordinator?
An Evacuation Coordinator is defined in Section 21 Part 3(h) of the Qld Building Fire Safety Regulation 2008. It is the person in charge of evacuating a building. It is the same person as a Chief Warden (AS3745-2002) and Emergency Coordinator (AS4083-1997).
How often do I need to run evacuation exercises?
Evacuation exercises must be conducted once per year.
