The Fire Safety Order requires that fire safety equipment is subject to a suitable system of maintenance and kept in efficient working order. It does not set out frequencies. Those come from British Standards and from your own fire risk assessment, which is the authority for your building.
The intervals below are common practice, not law. Your fire risk assessment, your equipment manufacturer's instructions and the advice of a competent person take precedence over any general guidance, including this page.
Common intervals
| Check | Typical interval | Who |
|---|---|---|
| Fire alarm call point test | Weekly, rotating through call points | Someone on site |
| Fire alarm service | At least every six months | Competent person |
| Emergency lighting function test | Monthly, short duration | Someone on site |
| Emergency lighting duration test | Annually, full rated duration | Competent person |
| Fire extinguisher visual check | Monthly | Someone on site |
| Fire extinguisher service | Annually | Competent person |
| Fire door checks | Commonly quarterly or six-monthly | Someone on site |
| Escape route inspection | Weekly or before each event | Someone on site |
| Fire risk assessment review | Annually, and after any material change | Responsible person |
| Fire drill | At least annually | Responsible person |
Fire alarm
The weekly test exists to confirm the system sounds and that at least one call point works. Use a different call point each week so that over time every one is tested. Record the call point used, the date, the person who did it, and whether the alarm sounded throughout the building.
For a hall used two evenings a week, "weekly" realistically means whenever someone is next in. Record the actual date rather than the intended one.
Emergency lighting
The monthly function test is a brief simulated power failure to confirm the lights come on. The annual test runs them for their full rated duration, commonly three hours, to confirm the batteries still hold.
The annual test is the one that catches ageing batteries, and it is the one most often skipped in small venues because it takes an evening. It is also the test an insurer will ask about after an incident.
Extinguishers
The monthly visual check is quick: is it there, is it in the right place, is the seal intact, is the gauge in the green, is it unobstructed. The annual service is carried out by a competent person and produces a certificate.
Fire doors
Check that the door closes fully onto the latch from any angle, that the seals are intact, that the hinges are secure and that nothing is wedging it open. Wedged-open fire doors are among the most common findings in community buildings, usually for entirely understandable reasons about ventilation or moving equipment.
Escape routes
Before any event, and weekly as routine: exits unobstructed and unlocked, routes clear, signage visible, external route to the assembly point passable. This is the check that takes two minutes and catches the stacked chairs.
What to record
Each entry should show what was checked, the date, who did it, the result, and any action taken. Missing entries are more damaging than entries recording a fault, because a gap looks like nothing happened while a recorded fault with a fix looks like a system working.
Whoever carries out the check should not be the only person who ever sees the logbook. A periodic review by a second named person catches drift.