Glossary
Every term our reports use, without the jargon
64 of 64 terms
accountable person
The dutyholder for a higher-risk building in occupation under the Building Safety Act 2022.
action plan
The prioritised list of remedial actions in a fire risk assessment report, each with a risk rating and target timescale.
alterations notice
A notice requiring the responsible person to notify the fire authority before making changes that could increase risk.
AOV
An automatic opening vent that releases smoke from a stair or lobby when triggered.
Approved Document B
Statutory guidance supporting the Building Regulations on fire safety in building design and construction.
Article 38
The article of the Fire Safety Order that maintains fire safety duties for the common parts of blocks of flats.
Article 9
The article of the Fire Safety Order requiring the responsible person to carry out a suitable and sufficient fire risk assessment and keep it up to date.
Read moreBS 5266
The British Standard for emergency lighting, covering escape route illumination levels and testing regimes.
BS 5839
The British Standard for fire detection and alarm systems, defining system categories such as L1, L2, LD2 and M.
BS 8214
The British Standard giving guidance on the installation and maintenance of fire doors, including gap tolerances.
BS 9991
The British Standard code of practice for fire safety in the design, management and use of residential buildings.
BS 9999
The British Standard code of practice for fire safety in the design, management and use of buildings.
Building Safety Act 2022
Legislation creating a new regulatory regime for higher-risk buildings, including the accountable person, building safety case and the Building Safety Regulator.
cold smoke seal
A brush or fin seal on a fire door that restricts the passage of cold smoke before temperatures rise.
compartmentation
Dividing a building with fire-resisting walls, floors and doors so fire and smoke are contained long enough for occupants to escape and firefighters to work.
competent person
Someone with sufficient training, experience, knowledge and other qualities to carry out the fire safety task properly.
dead end
A part of an escape route from which escape is possible in one direction only, requiring shorter travel distances.
dry riser
A vertical pipe in a building that firefighters charge with water from a pumping appliance to fight fire on upper floors.
enforcement notice
A notice served by the fire and rescue authority requiring specified fire safety improvements within a set period.
EWS1
The External Wall Fire Review form used by lenders to record an assessment of external wall construction on flatted buildings. It is a valuation tool, not a fire risk assessment.
FD30
A fire door assembly tested to resist fire for 30 minutes. FD60 resists for 60 minutes.
final exit
The termination of an escape route from a building giving direct access to a place of safety.
fire load
The total quantity of combustible material in a space, which drives how severe a fire could become.
fire marshal
A trained occupant responsible for assisting evacuation, sweeping areas and reporting to the assembly point.
Fire Safety (England) Regulations 2022
Regulations imposing duties on responsible persons of multi-occupied residential buildings, including resident information, door checks, and secure information boxes in higher-risk blocks.
Fire Safety Act 2021
Clarified that the Fire Safety Order applies to a building's structure, external walls (including cladding and balconies) and flat entrance doors in multi-occupied residential buildings.
fire stopping
Certified sealing of service penetrations through fire-resisting walls, floors and ceilings to maintain compartmentation.
fire strategy
The document explaining how a building's design and management combine to keep occupants safe in a fire.
Grade D alarm
A domestic alarm system of mains-powered detectors with battery backup, typical in smaller rented properties.
HHSRS
The Housing Health and Safety Rating System councils use to assess hazards, including fire, in residential property.
higher-risk building
Under the Building Safety Act, generally a residential building at least 18 metres or seven storeys tall with two or more dwellings.
HMO
A house in multiple occupation — a property let to three or more people forming more than one household who share facilities.
Read morehot works
Work involving flames, heat or sparks such as welding, grinding or torch-on roofing, normally controlled by a permit.
IFSM
The Institution of Fire Safety Managers, a professional body registering competent fire safety practitioners.
ignition source
Anything capable of starting a fire — electrical faults, cooking, heaters, smoking materials, hot works or arson.
intumescent strip
A strip fitted to a fire door or frame that expands when heated to seal the gap against fire.
L2 system
An automatic fire detection category covering escape routes plus defined high-risk rooms.
LD2 system
A domestic detection grade covering escape routes and rooms presenting a higher fire risk, common in HMOs.
lithium-ion battery
Rechargeable battery type used in e-bikes and e-scooters that can fail into thermal runaway, producing extremely rapid fire growth.
Read moremeans of escape
The structural means by which a safe route is provided for people to travel from any point in a building to a place of safety.
NFRAR
The National Fire Risk Assessor Register, a public list of assessors whose competence has been independently verified.
PAS 79
The published standard that sets out a structured methodology and report format for fire risk assessments. PAS 79-1 covers residential buildings, PAS 79-2 covers non-residential premises.
Read morePEEP
A personal emergency evacuation plan setting out how a specific person who cannot escape unaided will leave the building in a fire.
permit to work
A formal control document authorising higher-risk work under specified precautions and time limits.
premises information box
A secure box holding building plans and contact details for the fire service, required in higher-rise residential buildings.
prohibition notice
A notice restricting or prohibiting the use of premises where the risk to life is so serious that use should stop immediately.
protected stairway
A stair enclosed with fire-resisting construction so it stays usable during a fire.
Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005
The principal fire safety legislation in England and Wales for non-domestic premises and the common parts of residential buildings.
Read moreresponsible person
The person or organisation with legal duties under the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 — usually the employer, building owner, landlord or managing agent in control of the premises.
Read morerisk rating
The assessor's judgement of the likelihood and consequence of fire, typically expressed as trivial, tolerable, moderate, substantial or intolerable.
selective licensing
A council scheme requiring landlords in a designated area to hold a licence, usually with fire safety conditions attached.
significant findings
The record of hazards, people at risk and the actions taken or required, which the responsible person must record in writing.
simultaneous evacuation
A strategy where everyone leaves at once on hearing the alarm, usually introduced where compartmentation or external wall construction is inadequate.
smoke control system
Mechanical or natural ventilation designed to keep escape routes and firefighting shafts clear of smoke.
sprinkler system
An automatic suppression system that controls or extinguishes fire at an early stage, designed to BS EN 12845 or BS 9251.
stay put
An evacuation strategy for blocks of flats where residents not directly affected by fire remain in their flats, relying on compartmentation. It only holds if fire separation is intact.
suitable and sufficient
The legal standard a fire risk assessment must meet: proportionate to the risk, carried out by a competent person and properly recorded.
thermal runaway
A self-sustaining chain reaction inside a damaged or faulty battery cell producing intense heat, flammable gas and fire.
travel distance
The distance a person must travel from any point in a building to reach a place of relative safety or a final exit.
Type 1 fire risk assessment
A non-destructive assessment of the common parts only — the default for most blocks of flats.
Read moreType 2 fire risk assessment
Common parts with destructive inspection to verify hidden fire separation.
Read moreType 3 fire risk assessment
Common parts plus a non-destructive sample inspection inside flats, including flat entrance doors and means of escape.
Read moreType 4 fire risk assessment
The most thorough option: destructive inspection of both the common parts and a sample of flats.
Read morewaking watch
Trained staff patrolling a building to detect fire and raise the alarm where the existing arrangements are inadequate.
Put it to use
Free tools built on these definitions
Fire risk assessment cost calculator
Estimate the price of an assessment for a flat block, HMO, shop, office or warehouse in seconds — the same bands our assessors quote from.
Fire safety compliance checker
Answer five questions about your building and see which fire safety duties apply to you, from Article 9 to the 2022 Regulations and the Building Safety Act.
Fire risk assessment review date calculator
Enter the date of your last assessment and see when a review is due, plus the triggers that bring that date forward.
