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Fire safety is the set of practices intended to reduce destruction caused by fire.
- The Environmental Planning and Assessment Act places a legal obligation upon the owners of a building to submit an annual fire safety statement (the statement) for the installed fire safety measures.
Generally, this applies to new buildings (class 2 -9), building alterations approved and to buildings fire upgraded after July 1988. - The statement confirms the installed safety measures are operating to the same standard as when they were installed.
- The City of Parramatta Council issues an annual administration fee for the checking, keeping and holding of the annual fire safety statement.
PLEASE NOTE
Further information about the regulation changes made in October 2017 is available at the NSW Department of Planning, Industry and Environment website.
Email your annual fire safety statement with a copy of the fire safety schedule to: council@cityofparramatta.nsw.gov.au and complete your online submission with Fire + Rescue NSW (Please quote your ESS licence reference in all correspondence with Council).
A current fire safety schedule must be attached to the statement in accordance with the Regulation.
IMPORTANT UPDATE:
Standard template forms
Fire safety statements must be issued using a standard template form published by the NSW Government.
Following the commencement of the Fire Protection Australia (FPAA) accreditation scheme for accredited practitioners (fire safety), the department has updated the fire safety statement form. The new standard template form applies to all fire safety statements issued from 1 March 2021.
Note: Building owners should check the date on which their fire safety statement is likely to be issued before selecting the relevant form and preparing the statement.
For statements to be issued on or after 1 March 2021, use Version 3.1 of the template form:
- Template form (Version 3.1) – Fire safety statement (378 KB, PDF)
For statements to be issued on or after 1 September 2022, use Version 4.0 of the template form:
- Template form (Version 4.0) – Fire safety statement (DOCX, 163 KB)
A fire safety statement must be issued in the form approved by the Planning Secretary. The department has updated the template form in response to feedback from stakeholders.
The updated form (version 4.0) must be used for fire safety statements from 1 September 2022 and is available on the Fire safety page of the department’s website.
What is an annual fire safety statement?
(Back to top)An annual fire safety statement is a document issued by or on behalf of the owner of a building (generally, class 2-9), certifying that each essential fire safety measure installed in the building (or on the land) has been assessed by a competent Fire Safety Practitioner and was found to be capable of performing to the standard required.
The date of the assessed fire safety certificate (i.e. inspections and/or assessment) must fall within three (3) months of the date of the fire safety statement.
Submit an annual fire safety statement
(Back to top)Every year the owner of a building or premises must provide Council and Fire and Rescue NSW with a statement certifying that all fire-safety measures work properly.
A current fire safety schedule must be attached to the statement in accordance with the regulation.
Please submit your statement using the NSW Government form.
- Every section must be completed accurately and thoroughly
- Check your statement for errors and omissions before submitting to Council. Incomplete and/or incorrect fire safety statements will be returned.
How to submit your statement
Email your annual fire safety statement with a copy of the essential services schedule (section 11), to: council@cityofparramatta.nsw.gov.au and complete your online submission with Fire + Rescue NSW (Please quote your ESS licence reference in all correspondence with Council).
Display fire safety statement
(Back to top)Fire safety statements must be prominently displayed within a building alongside a fire safety schedule.
It is an offence to not display fire safety statements.
Annual fire safety statement due date
(Back to top)You are required to submit an annual fire safety statement each year.
- The due date is the date of which the initial fire safety certificate (formerly known as a form 6 or form 15 certificate) was obtained and submitted to Council in response to a building approval, construction certificate, complying development certificate, fire safety order or development consent.
- The date will always revert to this date unless your annual fire safety statement is submitted prior to the due date.
Annual fire safety statement are valid for a 12 month period.
A statement submitted prior to the due date will result in a new 12 month due date.
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A fire safety measure is any measure (including any item of equipment, form of construction or fire safety strategy) that is (or is proposed to be) implemented in a building to ensure the safety of persons using the building in the event of emergency.
These measures vary and may include exit signs, portable fire extinguishers, smoke alarms, fire hydrants, evacuation plans, etc.
- Every essential services schedule fire safety measure must be found to be installed and to operate/achieve to the required standard as outlined in the fire safety schedule and/or the most recent fire safety certificate/statement.
- You must ensure that the fire safety measures are assessed against the designed and installed standards that applied at the time of installation.
The annual inspection does not automatically require installed fire safety measures to be upgraded to the current standards.
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A fire safety schedule is the list of all fire safety measures that are required to be installed in a premise and the standard of performance to which each measure must be capable of operating (both existing and proposed).
A current fire safety schedule for the building must be attached to the statement.
A fire safety schedule can be issued when:
- granting a development consent for a change of building use in which no building work is proposed for the consent and no building work is required by the consent authority; or
- issuing a complying development certificate for the erection of a building or for a change of building use; or
- issuing a construction certificate for proposed building work; or
- giving a fire safety order in relation to building premises after an audit is conducted.
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Yes, if there are multiple buildings on the one property, a separate annual fire safety statement is required for each building.
One statement can be submitted for all the buildings only if the required fire safety measures are the same for each building (as listed on the fire safety schedule).
Get in touch
(Back to top)By email
Please send all annual fire safety statements and questions, including requests for a copy of your ESS schedule to council@cityofparramatta.nsw.gov.au. Include your ESS reference or property address in the subject line
By phone
You can call our Customer Contact Centre on (02) 9806 5050 or our Regulatory Support Team on (02) 9806 5684.
If you are responding to a letter you have received, please contact the author and/or quote your ESS reference in all enquiries.
For fire safety questions related to building compliance, call our Building Compliance Team on (02) 9806 5050.
