What a fire safety audit actually looks for

Facility teams often assume an audit is a hunt for absent equipment. In our experience it is usually the opposite: the equipment is there, and the problem is that nobody can demonstrate it functions.

The first thing an auditor asks for is records. When was the system last tested? By whom? What failed, and what was done about it? A fire alarm panel with no service history is treated as an unknown quantity, regardless of how new it looks.

The second is coverage against the current layout. Buildings change — partitions move, racking goes higher, a store room becomes a battery room. Detection designed for the original layout may no longer cover the space it is supposed to.

Third is the interfaces. A detection system that does not shut down the air handling unit, release the door holders or signal the suppression panel is a system that will not perform on the day. These links are rarely tested after handover.

Fourth is documentation: as-built drawings, cause-and-effect matrices, O&M manuals, and certificates for the installed equipment. If the paperwork does not match the installation, the installation is what gets questioned.

None of these are expensive to put right. They are, however, almost impossible to fix in the week before an audit — which is the argument for a maintenance contract that produces the records as a by-product of doing the work.