Independent and UK wide

Fire Safety Audits

How confident are you that your building would pass a fire safety inspection? A fire safety audit gives you the answer before the enforcing authority does. AL23 Safety carries out independent audits across the UK, reviewing how well you manage fire safety, where you stand against the law and what to put right so there are no surprises if the fire service comes knocking.

Book a fire safety audit

What is a fire safety audit?

A mock inspection, without the enforcement hanging over it

A fire safety audit is a detailed, structured review of your building, your fire safety systems and the way you manage fire safety day to day. A competent professional inspects the premises, reviews your documentation and, where useful, talks to your staff to build a full picture of your compliance position.

It mirrors a real inspection

In effect, it covers what a Fire and Rescue Service inspecting officer would look at but without the threat of enforcement action. You find out where you stand while there is still time to fix things.

Audit or risk assessment?

Easily confused but not the same thing

The legal requirement

Fire risk assessment

Required under the Fire Safety Order. It focuses on the building and its fire risks and produces an action plan to control them.

The wider view

Fire safety audit

Checks how well you manage fire safety as a whole, including whether your fire risk assessment is suitable and up to date, whether your documentation and records stack up and whether you are meeting all your duties in practice.

Your fire risk assessment is one of the things a fire safety audit checks. An audit does not replace it. It tells you whether everything around it is working.

When it makes sense

Good moments for an audit

Before a fire service inspection, to check you are ready
After a fire, a complaint or an enforcement notice
As a scheduled review of your fire safety arrangements
When your layout, occupancy or fire strategy changes
As due diligence before buying, selling or taking on a building
Across a portfolio, to compare and prioritise fire safety between sites

Regular audits help you avoid non compliance, reduce your liabilities and keep your fire safety documentation current and robust.

What we review

Nine areas, one clear picture

A fire safety audit from us typically covers:

Fire detection and alarm systems

Coverage, testing and that everything is in working order.

Escape routes and exits

Whether they are accessible, clearly marked and properly lit.

Fire doors and compartmentation

The condition of fire doors and how well the building contains fire and smoke.

Firefighting and suppression

Extinguishers, sprinklers, hose reels and the rest, including coverage and servicing records.

Emergency lighting and signage

Whether lighting works on a power failure and signage is clear and compliant.

Fire safety documentation

Fire risk assessment, evacuation plan, training records, drill logs and maintenance records.

Electrical safety and storage

Hazards such as overloaded sockets, damaged wiring or unsafe storage of flammable materials.

Special risk areas

Kitchens, plant rooms, data centres and chemical stores that need extra protection.

Management and training

Whether your people know what to do and your arrangements actually work.

What to have ready

Bring these and the audit runs smoothly

Your current fire risk assessment
Action plans from previous assessments
Fire evacuation procedures
Fire drill records and training logs
Maintenance records for alarms, emergency lighting and fire doors
Evidence of any fire stopping or compartmentation work
A list of any dangerous substances stored on site

We will tell you exactly what we need beforehand.

Your report

Clear, prioritised, with urgent items flagged

Where you are not compliant or where there is cause for concern
Practical recommendations to put each issue right
A clear order of priority, with urgent items flagged
A follow up checklist you can work through
Photographic evidence and supporting observations

If we find anything urgent, we will tell you straight away and advise on how to deal with it quickly. We can also help you plan the remedial work or update your documents.

Who it is for

Built for the people who carry the duty

Responsible persons and duty holdersFacilities and estates managersBusiness owners, landlords and housing providersSchools, care homes and healthcare sitesLarge public buildingsAnyone wanting real confidence in their compliance

Why AL23 Safety

We know what good looks like and where buildings fall down

An audit is only as good as the people behind it. Because we have in-house fire engineering capability and because we carry out fire risk assessments, compartmentation and fire door surveys ourselves, we know exactly what good looks like and where buildings tend to fall down.

Our audits are genuinely independent, written in plain English and built to give you a clear, honest view of where you stand. We work with duty holders right across the UK, from single buildings to large portfolios.