Fire safety checks: the daily, weekly, monthly and annual schedule
The law says your fire safety equipment must be kept in working order. It doesn't hand you a calendar. The Home Office guidance does, with an example schedule that most UK premises use as their starting point. Here it is, in plain English.
Daily: look. Escape routes, exits, the alarm panel. Weekly: test the alarm. Monthly: test emergency lighting and check fire doors. Every six months: an engineer services the alarm. Yearly: a competent person services lighting, extinguishers and other systems, and compartmentation is inspected. Always: write it down.
What the law requires
Article 17 of the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 requires a suitable system of maintenance, so that the fire safety equipment and facilities in your premises are kept in efficient working order and good repair. It doesn't name an interval for any particular check. Your fire risk assessment decides what is suitable for your building.
The Home Office guide for offices and shops fills the gap with example checks. It says regular checks, periodic servicing and maintenance are needed whatever the size of your premises, that defects must be put right as quickly as possible, and that you or someone you nominate can do some of the checks while a competent service engineer does the rest. The guide is clear that the examples are not prescriptive and other testing regimes may be appropriate.
Daily checks
- Fire exits and escape routes. Remove bolts, padlocks and security devices from fire exits, make sure doors on escape routes swing freely and close fully, and check the routes are clear of obstructions and combustible materials.
- The alarm panel. Confirm the system is active and fully operational, with no unreported faults.
- Emergency lighting. Where practicable, a visual check that the units are in good repair and working.
- Signs and notices. Check they are all still legible.
Weekly checks
- Test the fire alarm by operating a manual call point, following the manufacturer's or installer's instructions. Tell people beforehand so nobody evacuates by mistake.
- Safety torches. Check the batteries.
- Extinguishers and hose reels. Check they are in the right place and in apparent working order. Some providers advise a monthly visual check of extinguishers instead, so set the routine in your risk assessment and follow your service engineer's advice.
Monthly checks
- Emergency lighting and safety torches. Test them to make sure they hold enough charge and give enough light, at a time when the building won't need them straight afterwards.
- Fire doors. Check each one is in good working order and closes correctly, with the frame and seals intact. Our guide to fire door checks covers what to look for, including the stricter rules for multi-occupied residential buildings.
Six-monthly checks
A competent person should test and maintain the fire detection and warning system. Your weekly test shows the alarm sounds. The engineer's visit is what shows the whole system is healthy. See fire alarm systems and BS 5839-1 for the detail.
Annual checks
- A competent person tests and maintains the emergency lighting and all firefighting equipment, fire alarms and other installed systems. Emergency lighting normally gets a longer discharge test at this visit, and extinguishers have an annual service with longer-interval extended servicing, so let your service engineer schedule these.
- Structural fire protection and compartmentation are inspected and any remedial work is carried out. Do the same after any building work that could have breached fire-resisting walls or floors.
Who can do what
Your own staff, or a person you nominate, can reasonably do the daily looks, the weekly alarm test and the monthly lighting and door checks, provided they know what they're doing and the instructions are written down. Servicing and maintenance should be done by a competent person. For anything more specialised, the Home Office guidance points to third-party certification as one way of getting reasonable assurance of an engineer's competence.
When a check fails
Put it right as soon as possible, and don't leave it to the next scheduled visit. If an essential fire safety system is faulty or out of service, the Home Office guide says the risk needs to be assessed straight away and remedial action identified to reduce it in the meantime. That might mean extra fire watch patrols, restricting use of an area, or telling staff about the fault. Log what you found, what you did and when it was fixed.
Keep a log book
The guide recommends keeping a log book of all maintenance and testing, and records help you show an inspector that you have complied. For each check, record the date, what was checked, who did it, the result and any action taken. A one-page weekly sheet is plenty for a small premises. Keep it with your fire risk assessment, drill records and training log.
A caution about this schedule
The Home Office example comes from its guide for offices and shops in England and Wales, and it is aimed at less complex premises. Care homes, hospitals, residential blocks, workshops and kitchens often need more, and the relevant standards (such as BS 5839-1 for alarms) and your equipment suppliers may set their own intervals. Treat this as a sound baseline, then let your risk assessment add to it.
Frequently asked questions
Is the weekly fire alarm test a legal requirement?
The Order requires suitable maintenance but doesn't specify a weekly test. The weekly test is the Home Office recommendation and standard practice, so inspectors will expect to see it, and you should be able to show why if you do it differently.
Can I test the fire alarm myself?
Yes. The weekly test is a user test that you or a nominated person can carry out following the installer's instructions. The six-monthly service needs a competent engineer.
What should I do if the alarm panel shows a fault?
Log it and call your engineer. A fault isn't a fire, but it can mean part of the system won't detect one. Our drill on the Alarm Panel gives staff practice telling the two apart.
Test yourself on the rota
Check Rota gives you eight checks and a few seconds each. Match every one to its schedule, from the daily look at the panel to the annual service.
Play Hazard Hunt →Sources
- Fire safety risk assessment: offices and shops, section 3.4.6 (Home Office)
- A guide for persons with duties under the Fire Safety Order, section 18: maintenance (Home Office, GOV.UK)
- Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005, Article 17: Maintenance (legislation.gov.uk)
This guide is for learning and applies to England & Wales. Always work from the current regulations, your fire risk assessment and your equipment suppliers' instructions; Scotland and Northern Ireland have equivalent regimes.