Fire Strategy and Fire Safety Consultancy
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A fire strategy explains how a building is designed to keep people safe in a fire: how it is divided into compartments, how people escape and how fire-fighters gain access. Fire Stopping Surveys, a trading name of RiSKFiX LLP, provides fire strategies and fire safety consultancy through a qualified fire engineer, including retrospective fire strategies for existing buildings. These include the compartmentation plans that fire stopping and compartmentation surveys work from.
What is a fire strategy?
A fire strategy is a document, with drawings, that sets out the fire safety design of a building. It typically covers the evacuation approach, means of escape, compartmentation, fire detection and alarm, smoke control, structural fire resistance and access for fire-fighters.
It is written with reference to the design guidance that applies to the building, such as Approved Document B (2019 edition incorporating 2026 amendments), BS 9999:2017 or BS 9991:2024.
What is a retrospective fire strategy?
Many existing buildings have no fire strategy, or one that no longer matches how the building is laid out and used. A retrospective fire strategy records the fire safety arrangements of an existing building as it is now, and explains how they are intended to work.
It includes compartmentation plans: drawings marking where the compartment walls and floors are. These are what a compartmentation survey checks against.
Do you need a site visit?
If scaled drawings of the building exist, the fire engineer works from them, with a site visit where needed to confirm the layout. Where no scaled drawings exist, a site visit is needed so the layout can be recorded before the strategy is prepared.
When is fire safety consultancy useful?
- Planning alterations or a change of use
- Resolving questions raised by a fire risk assessment
- Understanding where compartment lines should be before surveying
- Reviewing proposed remedial works against the building's strategy
- Advising on fire safety for multi-site portfolios
How does the strategy work with surveys?
A survey tells you what is there. A fire strategy tells you what should be there. Together they give your Responsible Person and Fire Risk Assessor the full picture.
On a portfolio, we can prepare strategies for buildings that lack them before surveying, so every survey has compartmentation plans to work against.
Who prepares the strategy?
Fire strategies are prepared by a qualified fire engineer. The strategy is a design document; it is not a survey report and not a certificate.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between a fire strategy and a fire risk assessment?
A fire strategy sets out how the building is designed to keep people safe in a fire. A fire risk assessment reviews the current risks and precautions in use.
Can you prepare a fire strategy for an existing building?
Yes. A retrospective fire strategy records the fire safety arrangements of an existing building and includes compartmentation plans.
Do you need drawings of the building?
Scaled drawings help. Where none exist, a site visit is needed to record the layout.
Who prepares the strategy?
A qualified fire engineer.
Will a fire strategy include compartmentation drawings?
Yes, retrospective fire strategies include compartmentation plans marking the compartment lines.
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