QUEENSLAND

Act: Building Act 1975,, Fire & Rescue Services Act 1990, Fire and Rescue Service Regulation 2011

Regulation: Building Fire Safety Regulation 2008 & Queensland Development Code MP6.1- Maintenance of fire safety installations. (Amended 1 July 2014)

Compliance Certificate: Occupier Statement.

State Legislation and Regulations relating to the maintenance of fire safety installations were regulated in Queensland in 1992.

Queensland Development Code MP6.1 was introduced 2008 and introduced 1/1/2009 to set appropriate performance standards for  maintenance of  fire safety installations  for the safe occupation of buildings and specify the maintenance records required.

Building owners, managers and tenants must have a current Occupier Statement which ensures that the fire safety installations are maintained in order to operate as designed, and for the safe occupation of buildings.

Penalties for failure to comply with the maintenance code remain in the Building Act 1975 and the Fire and Rescue Act 1990.

ANNUAL CERTIFICATION REQUIREMENTS

Occupiers Statement to be prepared annually on behalf of the building occupier or owner where the building is vacant or unoccupied. The Occupiers statement must be kept with the buildings maintenance records and be produced upon demand by local government officers and authorised officers of the QFES.

BUILDING OCCUPANCY TYPES REQUIRED TO COMPLY WITH SAFETY MEASURES REGULATIONS

All Class 1b – 9c occupancy buildings as defined by the National Construction Code are required to be maintained regard less of floor area size or whether the building is occupied or vacant. A building treated as part of a coal mine for the purposes of the relevant legislation is excluded from the requirement.

ADOPTION OF AS1851

Queensland Development Code MP6.1 requires all applicable maintenance to be performed in accordance with AS1851-2012requirements.

DEFINED FIRE SAFETY INSTALLATIONS

Queensland Development Code MP6.1 defines the following items as “prescribed fire safety installations”:

  • Air handling systems

  • Emergency lifts

  • Emergency lighting

  • Emergency power supply

  • Emergency warning and intercommunication systems

  • Exit signs

  • Fire detection and alarm systems

  • Fire doorsets

  • Fire extinguishers

  • Fire hose reels

  • Fire hydrants (including boosters)

  • Fire mains

  • Fire shutters

  • Smoke and heat venting systems

  • Smoke door sets

  • Smoke exhaust systems

  • Solid core doors

  • Special automatic fire suppression systems

  • Sprinklers

  • Stairwell pressurisation systems

  • Other measures (includes additional fire safety installation or conditions that are required under the buildings alternative solution under the Building Act 1975 of NCC Vol. 1 ClausesE1.10 and E2.3.

Additional legislative maintenance requirements for all structural features that are fire safety installations such as structural fire protection, penetrations in fire rated structures etc. are contained in the Fire and Rescue Services Act 1990.

Requirements for building occupiers to maintain path of travel to exits, exit doors and discharge from exits are also included in the Building Fire and Safety Regulation 2008.