Fire Risk Assessments – how the IFE promotes quality and competence

Committed to shaping a future world that is safer from fire, we support our members with initiatives that deliver advantage.?

Our Fire Risk Assessor’s Register is a great example of this work. We were the first UK organisation to establish such a register and it remains the largest scheme presently in the UK.

Understanding Fire Risk Assessments

In the?UK, three legislative regimes impose a duty to carry out a fire risk assessment.

In England and Wales, the duties are imposed on the Responsible Person – the employer, in the case of workplaces, or the person with control of the premises if it is not a workplace. The duty can also be imposed on other persons having control of the premises, such as managing agents.

In Scotland and Northern Ireland, the term 'responsible person' is not used but, again, the duty will fall on the employer and/or certain other persons having control of the premises.

Failure to properly carry out a fire risk assessment can lead to a heavy fine or, in serious cases, imprisonment.

About the register

The IFE’s Fire Risk Assessor’s Register is an interactive directory of individual assessors who carry out Fire Risk Assessments for life safety, hosted on the IFE website.

Only IFE-registered Fire Risk Assessors are listed, and all successful applicants must demonstrate to a Professional Review Panel that they have suitable education, training and experience in the principles of fire safety and fire risk assessment. Building on this, from January 2022 anyone applying to become registered as a Fire Risk Assessor with the IFE also needs to become professionally registered with the Engineering Council. The third-party oversight and assurance provided by the Engineering Council in terms of standards of competence and professional conduct ensures that those using the register, such as Responsible Persons or the public, are provided with confidence and reassurance when searching for competent registered Fire Risk Assessors.

Having proved their competency, successful applicants are issued with a dedicated logo to mark their inclusion in the register, which is continuously maintained to ensure relevance.

The register enables anybody who needs to book a Fire Risk Assessment on their premises to choose local assessors, using an interactive map. Users can search by ‘area covered’ or by name.

Delivering benefits for all

The register is not just designed to benefit those seeking a Fire Risk Assessment; it provides our member network with independent validation of their services and a marketing tool to support opportunities for business. It is one of a number of initiatives developed by the IFE to help give members the platform, resources or opportunity to drive advantage within increasingly competitive markets.

As part of our ongoing commitment to deliver advantage for global members, we are currently exploring ways of replicating the register where demand exists outside of the UK.

Discover the IFE’s Fire Risk Assessor’s Register?and see the benefits for yourself.??