Responding To Fire Authority Investigations: An Introduction To Fire Safety Enforcement

Following the Grenfell Tower tragedy, fire safety has come under ever greater scrutiny. There is increased pressure on responsible persons to comply with fire safety duties and on fire authorities to take enforcement action. To aid regulatory control and enforcement, the Government has published two new bills relevant to fire safety. Against that background, below is a general introduction to fire safety enforcement.

In brief

The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 ('the Order') imposes onerous fire safety duties on persons in control of non-domestic premises and the common parts of domestic premises breach of which can be a criminal offence punishable by an unlimited fine and/or imprisonment. The Order grants extensive powers to fire authorities (and in specific circumstances other authorities) to investigate and prosecute such offences.