The Department of Emergency Services completed a review of the Building Fire Safety Regulation – 1991, and from this review recommended numerous changes to the existing regulation. Consequently, the Building Fire Safety Regulation, was rewritten to reflect the importance of ensuring a person’s safety while in a building other than a private residence.
July 2008 saw the introduction of the Building Fire Safety Regulation 2008. It set a new standard in occupant Fire Safety in Queensland. The Building Fire Safety Regulation removed any confusion about what is required for each building to ensure compliance. The primary purpose of the new legislation is to ensure that:
- Persons can evacuate from buildings safely in the event of fire and;
- Fire safety features and equipment in buildings continue to perform to the same standard and to provide the same level of safety as originally intended.
The Fire Safety Regulation details what is required to ensure adequate levels of fire safety are maintained in a building. The Regulation is divided into 10 parts. Parts 2,3,4, and 5 are particularly important to occupiers of buildings because they clearly detail the fire safety responsibilities which must be carried out in certain buildings. These parts are:
- Means of escape from buildings
- Occupancy limits for buildings
- Evacuation Planning, instruction and practice
- Prescribed fire safety installations.