What a fire inspection has to cover in Ireland — the instruments that impose it, and the clause each check is cited to.
Where the works/use require it, a valid Fire Safety Certificate (and Disability Access Certificate where applicable) must have been obtained before opening/use, and the building operated in line with its terms and approved fire-safety design. Basis: Building Control Acts 1990 & 2007 and the Building Control Regulations 1997 as amended — a design-stage statutory instrument, distinct from the ongoing s.18 duty.
The 'person having control' of the premises must be identified and the occupancy profile (use, maximum occupant capacity, sleeping risk, places-of-assembly status, vulnerable occupants) recorded — this fixes who carries the s.18(2) duty to take reasonable measures to guard against fire and ensure safe escape. Statutory basis: Fire Services Act 1981 s.18(1)-(2). Places of assembly carry heightened duties (s.18(3)).
A fire safety register / logbook recording tests, drills, servicing, defects and remedial actions should be maintained as ongoing evidence of reasonable measures. Basis: best-practice convention supporting the s.18(2) duty and the record-keeping expectations of the I.S. standards — expected practice, not a standalone statutory offence to omit.
A documented fire risk assessment by a competent person should be in place, current, and its significant findings acted on. Basis: this is the expected way to demonstrate the s.18(2) 'reasonable measures' duty and, in a workplace, feeds the employer's Safety Statement (Safety, Health and Welfare at Work Act 2005). A PAS 79-1:2020-style FRA with a likelihood x consequence estimator is defensible common practice — Ireland has NO statutory PAS-79 equivalent, so this is PRACTICE/convention, not black-letter law.
Hot works (welding, cutting, grinding, soldering, open flame) must be controlled by a permit-to-work system: area cleared/protected, extinguisher to hand, fire watch during and after, and a post-work check. Basis: s.18(2) reasonable measures — a hot-work permit is expected practice, not a distinct statutory form in Ireland.
Combustible materials and waste must be limited, stored away from ignition sources and escape routes, and general housekeeping maintained to control the fire load. Basis: s.18(2) reasonable measures — accumulation of combustibles/waste is a common ignition-and-spread failure.
The fixed electrical installation must be sound and subject to periodic inspection & testing by a registered electrical contractor, with no signs of overload, damage or overheating. Basis: s.18(2) reasonable-measures duty; installation/verification per I.S. 10101:2020+A1:2024. Periodic test interval is competent-person practice, not a black-letter statutory interval.
Portable fire extinguishers must be of the correct type/rating for the risk, correctly sited, signed, and serviced (basic service annually) per I.S. 291:2015+A1:2022. Basis: I.S. 291 evidencing s.18(2); annual basic service is the standard's servicing basis, applied by a competent person.
Emergency escape lighting must be provided to escape routes and tested/maintained per I.S. 3217:2023. Basis: I.S. 3217:2023 evidencing the s.18(2) safe-escape duty; monthly function and annual full-duration tests are competent-person practice under the standard.
The fire detection and alarm system must be maintained in working order and periodically serviced by a competent person. Statutory basis: the s.18(2) duty to take reasonable measures to guard against fire; servicing method per I.S. 3218:2024 (competent-person practice — periodic functional testing, quarterly service and annual certification — not a black-letter interval).
The fire alarm control panel must have a healthy standby power supply (batteries) able to hold the system in normal and alarm conditions on loss of mains for the required standby period. Basis: s.18(2); standby capacity/maintenance per I.S. 3218:2024.
The alarm system must be of the correct category for the building, with manual call points on escape routes/at exits (nominal 45 m travel to a call point), correct zoning and detection coverage, and a legible zone plan at the panel. Basis: s.18(2); design/coverage per I.S. 3218:2024.
Exit doors on escape routes must be fitted with the correct exit hardware for the occupancy — panic bars (I.S. EN 1125) where the public/large numbers are present, emergency exit devices (I.S. EN 179) where occupants are familiar with the building — and it must operate with a single action. Basis: s.18(2) safe-escape duty; product/selection per I.S. EN 1125 / I.S. EN 179 and TGD B 2024.
Where a sprinkler or other fixed suppression system is installed, it must be operational (pressurised, valves open/monitored, heads unobstructed with adequate clearance) and maintained by a competent person. Basis: s.18(2); design/maintenance per I.S. EN 12845 and TGD B 2024 — confirm the I.S. EN 12845 edition and TGD B section applicable to this installation.
Fire doors and doorsets on escape routes and to protected areas must be intact, correctly gapped, and self-close fully into the rebate to maintain compartmentation. Basis: s.18(2) plus TGD B 2024 provisions and the fire-door product standards (I.S. EN 1634-1 / I.S. EN 16034); routine 6-monthly inspection is best-practice convention, not a statutory interval.
A fire blanket to I.S. EN 1869 must be provided in kitchens and cooking areas, correctly sited near the cooking risk (but not over it), accessible and undamaged. Basis: s.18(2); product per I.S. EN 1869.
Where provided, fixed firefighting facilities — hose reels, landing valves/risers and site hydrants — must be present, accessible, signed, in working order (pressure/flow) and maintained by a competent person. Basis: s.18(2); product/maintenance per I.S. EN 671, facilities per TGD B 2024.
Escape routes, exits and fire-safety equipment must be identified by durable, visible, compliant safety signs (ISO 7010 pictograms), with directional signage where the exit is not directly visible. Basis: s.18(2) plus the safety-signs duty; graphics per I.S. EN ISO 7010, illuminated exit signage per I.S. 3217:2023.
Smoking must be controlled: designated external smoking areas with safe, non-combustible ash disposal, and no-smoking signage where required. Basis: s.18(2) ignition-source control; the workplace smoking ban (Public Health (Tobacco) Acts) reinforces indoor no-smoking.
Flammable liquids, gases (e.g. LPG) and other dangerous goods must be identified, quantity-limited, correctly stored (ventilated/segregated stores, bunding where relevant) and separated from ignition sources. Basis: s.18(2) plus the chemical-agents/explosive-atmosphere duties; where relevant assess the formation of an explosive atmosphere.
Portable and transportable electrical equipment must be maintained safe and, where appropriate, inspected/tested (PAT), with no overloaded extension leads or daisy-chained adaptors. Basis: s.18(2) plus the workplace electrical-safety duty; inspection frequency is risk-based competent-person practice.
A fire evacuation / emergency plan appropriate to the premises must be in place, and fire drills carried out and recorded (commonly at least annually, more often for higher-risk/assembly use). Basis: s.18(2) safe-escape duty plus the 2005 Act's emergency-plan duty — drill frequency is risk-based practice, not a fixed statutory interval.
Sufficient fire wardens/marshals must be nominated and staff given fire-safety instruction and training (raising the alarm, using extinguishers where appropriate, evacuation roles). Basis: s.18(2) plus the employer's s.10 duty to provide instruction, training and supervision on safety.
Fire compartment walls/floors must be intact, with service penetrations (cables, pipes, ducts) correctly fire-stopped and no unauthorised openings. Basis: s.18(2) plus TGD B 2024 compartmentation provisions; a breach lets fire/smoke bypass the escape strategy.
External escape routes from final exits to the assembly point / place of ultimate safety must be clear, adequately lit and not blocked (e.g. by parked vehicles, gates, deliveries or bins), and a designated assembly point must be identified. Basis: s.18(2) safe-escape duty continues beyond the final exit; TGD B 2024.
Every final exit must be immediately openable from the inside in the direction of escape without a key, code or special knowledge while the premises is occupied. Statutory basis: s.18(2) safe-escape duty; detailing per TGD B 2024.
Means of escape must be kept clear, unobstructed and available at all times. Statutory basis: s.18(2) reasonable-measures / safe-escape duty; escape-route provision informed by TGD B 2024 (Vol. 1 non-dwellings; Vol. 2 dwellings).
Where a smoke control system (natural or mechanical smoke ventilation, stair pressurisation) or fire dampers are installed, they must activate as designed and be maintained; ventilation must not defeat compartmentation. Basis: s.18(2); smoke control per TGD B 2024 and I.S. EN 12101 components — confirm the standard editions and TGD B section applicable to this system.
Travel distances to a place of relative safety, the number and width of exits, and stair/exit capacity must remain adequate for the occupancy — not defeated by layout changes, locked routes or increased numbers. Basis: s.18(2) safe-escape duty; deemed-to-satisfy provision per TGD B 2024 — confirm the clause and table applicable to this occupancy.
Where occupants may need assistance to evacuate (mobility, sensory or cognitive impairment), Personal Emergency Evacuation Plans (PEEPs) and appropriate provision (refuges, evacuation equipment, assistance arrangements) must be in place. Basis: s.18(2) safe-escape duty extends to all occupants; access provisions relate to TGD B / TGD M.