Activities to minimise harms - fire safety failures
Our initiatives to protect building occupants by addressing fire safety issues
The Building and Plumbing Commission (BPC) is undertaking targeted regulatory activities to reduce serious harm caused by fire safety failures in apartment buildings and other multi‑storey residential buildings.
Fire safety is one of BPC’s regulatory priorities and a key focus of its harms‑based regulatory approach. This work is directed at identifying fire safety risks early and intervening where necessary to protect occupants and prevent serious injury or loss of life.
Why fire safety matters
Fire safety is critical in apartments and other multi‑storey residential buildings. When fire safety systems do not work as intended, the consequences can be severe. People may not be able to escape safely, and fire or smoke can spread quickly beyond the location where the fire starts.
In these buildings, fire safety depends on the combined performance of Essential Safety Measures (ESMs):
Passive fire protection – fire‑resisting walls and floors, fire doors, and fire‑stopping of service penetrations
Active fire systems – sprinklers, fire hydrants, fire hose reels, smoke detection and alarms.
If any part of this system is poorly designed, incorrectly installed or not properly coordinated, the risk to occupants increases significantly.
The BPC’s audits, inspections, complaint investigations, research and other intelligence-led compliance activity have consistently identified common fire safety issues, including:
service penetrations that are not fire‑stopped correctly
defective or incomplete fire‑resisting walls, floors and shafts
unclear or inadequate fire safety documentation and drawings
active fire systems that do not match approved plans or comply with relevant standards.
Many of these issues are concealed once construction is complete. When they are discovered after occupation, rectification can be costly, disruptive and stressful for residents and owners.
The harm we are trying to prevent
This regulatory activity focuses on preventing serious injury or loss of life caused by fire and smoke in apartments and other multi‑storey residential buildings.
Fire safety harms arise when:
fire safety systems are not designed to work together
fire and smoke resisting construction between apartments or floors is compromised
fire safety systems are installed without proper oversight or certification
non‑compliances are identified too late in the build process.
In higher‑density buildings, these failures increase:
the chance that a fire will affect multiple individual units or apartments
the number of people exposed to fire and smoke
the speed and extent of fire spread beyond the unit or apartment of origin
the difficulty of safe evacuation.
How fire safety failures lead to harm
Fire safety failures usually follow a clear pattern:
fire safety requirements are not clearly shown in plans and specifications
passive fire protection installation is defective or non-compliant
services pass through fire‑resisting elements without adequate fire‑stopping
owners and owners corporations do not undertake required ESM maintenance.
These problems can impact building occupants in the following ways:
fire and smoke may spread into other apartments or common areas
occupants may be unable to evacuate safely, leading to serious injury or death
occupants may be displaced from their homes, requiring alternative accommodation.
The most effective way to reduce these risks is to identify and fix problems early, before work is concealed and before a building is occupied.
Our regulatory focus
BPC’s harms‑based regulatory approach focuses on reducing the most serious fire safety risks by directing regulatory effort to areas where early intervention can prevent significant harm.
BPC’s regulatory focus is on fire safety design and installation of ESMs in apartments and other multi-storey residential buildings (primarily class 2 buildings) and common defects that can introduce serious life‑safety risks if not addressed early.
Ongoing maintenance and testing of fire systems remains a critical obligation for building owners and owners corporations.
Activities to minimise fire safety harms
Information for practitioners
To reduce fire‑safety related harm, the BPC is undertaking a range of coordinated regulatory activities. These include reviewing fire safety documentation, carrying out targeted construction‑stage inspections, taking proportionate enforcement action where necessary and providing guidance and education to support compliance.
Fire protection plumbing work, including the installation of fire sprinklers, hydrants and hose reels, plays a critical role in fire safety outcomes and is included within the scope of this regulatory activity.
The specific activities will depend on the nature of the risk identified, the stage of the building work and the potential harm. Together, these measures are intended to address fire safety issues early and reduce the likelihood of serious harm.
What do the documentation audits involve?
Fire safety documentation audits involve reviewing plans, designs and supporting documents to check that fire safety requirements are clearly documented and compliant.
Audits may include a review of:
architectural and services documentation, including hydraulic and fire services drawings
fire engineering reports and performance solutions
details for the design of passive fire systems such as fire‑resisting walls, floors, shafts and service penetrations
evidence that designs are coordinated across disciplines.
These audits help identify gaps or inconsistencies in documentation that could lead to fire safety defects being built into the structure. Where issues are identified, BPC may seek clarification or further information from practitioners, take enforcement action, or refer the matter to the Architects Registration Board of Victoria (ARBV) for further investigation.
What are construction‑stage inspections?
Construction‑stage inspections involve BPC inspectors attending the site to check that fire safety systems are being built in accordance with approved plans, the NCC and relevant standards.
Inspections are targeted at key stages of construction, particularly before fire safety elements are concealed. Depending on the stage of works, inspections may include checking:
fire‑resisting walls, floors, risers and shafts
fire‑stopping at service penetrations
fire doors, frames and hardware
construction between sole‑occupancy units (apartments) and common areas
installation of active fire systems at later stages of the build such as sprinklers, fire hydrants and fire hose reels, including checks that these comply with approved documentation and required standards
integration of active and passive fire protection systems.
Inspectors may issue directions to fix or plumbing rectification notices where non‑compliance is identified. Early inspections allow defects to be corrected before they become difficult or expensive to rectify.
What sort of enforcement action can be expected?
Where fire safety non‑compliances are identified, the BPC will take proportionate regulatory action based on the level of risk and potential harm.
This may include:
providing compliance advice
issuing a direction to fix or plumbing rectification notice
issuing a formal regulatory notice including issuing of a graduated notice
issuing a direction to postpone issuance of an occupancy permit where serious fire safety risks remain
referrals for practitioner disciplinary action where conduct or competency is a concern
prosecution where there have been significant breaches.
This approach is focused on achieving compliance, reducing life‑safety risk and making regulatory expectations and consequences clear.
What do industry and practitioners need to do?
Designers, builders, plumbers, fire safety practitioners and building surveyors should:
treat fire safety as a coordinated system, not separate elements
clearly document fire safety requirements in plans and specifications
ensure designs are coordinated across architectural, structural and services disciplines
construct fire safety systems exactly as approved and in accordance with standards
check work before it is concealed and fix issues early.
Getting it right early helps protect building occupants and reduces the risk of regulatory action, delays or costly rectification later.
FAQs for practitioners
(designers, builders, plumbers, fire safety practitioners and building surveyors)
Fire safety has been identified as a key harm. Fire safety failures can lead to serious injury or loss of life, particularly in apartment buildings.
Common issues include poor fire‑stopping of service penetrations, defective fire‑resisting construction, unclear documentation and fire systems that do not match approved plans.
A documentation audit is a review of plans and supporting information to check that fire safety requirements are clearly documented, coordinated and compliant.
An audit may include reviewing architectural and services drawings, fire engineering reports and details of fire‑resisting construction.
These are on‑site inspections while a building is under construction to check that fire safety systems are being built in accordance with approved plans, the NCC and relevant standards.
Inspections are targeted to key construction stages, particularly before fire safety elements are concealed.
The BPC may provide advice, issue directions to fix, take enforcement action or refer matters for practitioner disciplinary consideration, depending on the risk.
Outcomes we are seeking
Through these activities, the BPC aims to:
identify and have fire safety issues fixed earlier in the building lifecycle
improve industry understanding of fire safety requirements
provide clearer expectations, guidance and accountability
reduce the risk of fire and smoke spread in occupied buildings
prevent serious fire‑related injury or loss of life.
By focusing on prevention, early intervention and consistent regulatory action, this work supports safer buildings and better outcomes for residents, industry and the wider community.
Essential safety measure (ESM) maintenance
Information for owners and owners corporations
Fire safety does not end when construction is complete. Once a building is occupied, ongoing maintenance of essential safety measures (ESMs) is required to keep people safe.
Under Victoria’s building laws, ESMs must be kept in working order so they can perform their intended function in the event of a fire or emergency. This includes systems such as sprinklers, hose reels, smoke detection and alarms, fire doors, emergency lighting, exit signage and paths of travel.
Responsibilities of building owners and owners corporations
Building owners and owners corporations are responsible for ensuring that ESMs are:
maintained, inspected, tested and repaired in accordance with the building’s occupancy permit, maintenance determination and/or maintenance schedule
not removed from their approved location, except for maintenance or repair
kept operational at all times.
This includes:
engaging suitably qualified practitioners to inspect, test and maintain ESMs in line with relevant Australian Standards
ensuring only practitioners licensed/registered to perform maintenance, repairs, and servicing of fire protection systems are engaged to undertake this work
keeping maintenance records, logbooks and service reports
preparing and signing an Annual Essential Safety Measures Report each year
making ESM records and reports available for inspection when requested by regulators or councils.
Ongoing ESM maintenance is essential to ensuring buildings remain safe to occupy over their full lifecycle. Common ESMs that require ongoing maintenance include sprinklers, smoke detection and alarms, fire doors, fire hydrants and hose reels, emergency lighting, exit signage and paths of travel.
When building work or alterations occur
If building work or alterations are carried out, owners and owners corporations should check with their building surveyor to ensure:
fire safety systems are not adversely affected
new or altered works comply with the Building Act and Building Regulations
ensure compliance certificates are issued by the practitioner undertaking fire protection work
ESM documentation and maintenance schedules are updated where required.
Failure to maintain ESMs can place occupants at serious risk and may result in enforcement action.
FAQs for owners and owners corporations
ESMs are fire safety systems and features that help protect occupants during a fire, such as sprinklers, smoke detection and alarms, fire doors, emergency lighting and exit signage.
Building owners and owners corporations are responsible for ensuring ESMs are maintained, tested and kept operational for the life of the building.
No, ongoing maintenance of ESMs is essential once a building is occupied.
Owners and owners corporations must engage suitably qualified practitioners to maintain systems in accordance with relevant Australian Standards, keep records, prepare an Annual Essential Safety Measures Report and make records available when requested.
Owners should check with their building surveyor to ensure fire safety systems are not affected, approvals are obtained and compliance certificates are issued where required.
Occupants must:
keep exits, stairways and paths of travel clear and accessible
not obstruct, damage or interfere with fire safety equipment
allow access to private areas (such as apartments or tenancies) when inspections, testing or maintenance of ESMs are required.
Maintenance should be carried out by registered or licensed practitioners, including licensed plumbers authorised to carry out fire protection plumbing work, who are qualified to do the work.
Before engaging a practitioner, you can check they are properly registered or licensed using the Find a Practitioner tool. Using a suitably qualified practitioner helps ensure maintenance work is done correctly and meets compliance requirements.
Supporting guidance and resources
The BPC’s regulatory activities are supported by ongoing guidance and education to help industry understand what is required and reduce repeat issues, these include:
Information for practitioners:
Please note: our practice notes are under review following the updates based on the NCC 2025:
The Building and Plumbing Commission is committed to taking a consistent, proportionate and risk‑based approach to addressing fire safety failures.
We will continue to focus on early intervention, targeted regulatory action and clear guidance to support safer building outcomes and reduce the risk of serious harm to occupants.
