Fire Audits from FRS Keep Buildings Compliant
Building owners in Melbourne must ensure their assets are meeting ESM compliance, say fire safety experts Fire Rating Solutions (FRS). Their highly skilled team conducts fire safety audits and inspections diligently and efficiently. They provide a comprehensive report including photos, rectification recommendations and quotes to ensure your building compliance is properly maintained.
The NCC/BCA and AS1851 requires all ESM items noted on the Occupancy Permit to be serviced and maintained to the nominated frequency of the building. The call from FRS to keep assets compliant follows a recent fire at the Neo200 tower. The Melbourne CBD apartment complex was damaged in a combustible cladding fire which left hundreds of residents blocked from their homes. The apartment was deemed a “moderate risk” building in a cladding audit.
The blaze started on a 22nd-floor balcony of the Neo200 tower on Spencer Streeton Monday and spread up the exterior of the building to the 27th floor early on Monday morning. Firefighters said thefire was caused by a discarded cigarette on an apartment balcony, which then was fuelled by the cladding.
Victorian Planning Minister Richard Wynne said the building was assessed by the Victorian Building Authority (VBA) as part of a state-wide audit investigating combustible cladding. Fifteen fire trucks, two ladder-platform trucks and 60 firefighters were required to extinguish the fire.
Metropolitan Fire Brigade (MFB) chief officer Dan Stephens said crews believed the building was clad with similar materials to that onLondon’s Grenfell Tower, in which 72 people died in a fire in 2017. Neo200 residents are angry after being told they will be locked out of the buildingfor at least two weeks, even if their properties were not damaged.
The Victorian Building Act along with the Building Regulations came into operation in 1994. This effects all buildings built on or after 1 July 1994. Building owners are required to ensure the service and maintenance is completed in accordance with the Australian Standard (AS1851) and records kept onsite. Owners of buildings built prior to 1 July 1994 still have a responsibility to ensure the safe operation and maintenance of the fire safety services installed.
The objective of annual fire safety inspections is to ensure that services continue to perform at the same level of operation that existed at the time of commissioning, noting any defects and ensuring they are rectified as required. FRS Passive Fire Inspection Services check the following essential safety measure items: AS1851-2005 & AS1851-2012.
For more information on fire sealant, intumescent paint, fire protection services, fire safety inspection and more, visit https://www.fireratingsolutions.com.au/