Act One service from MAF Associates ensures Fire Safety Act compliance

When the Fire Safety Bill received Royal Assent and passed into law as the Fire Safety Act 2021, it rapidly became clear to the MAF Associates team that there was widespread confusion in the housing and fire sectors about what the new law actually means and also what the legal requirements are, notably so in relation to high-rise residential buildings.

To help address these issues, Act One is a single service that brings together all disciplines within the MAF Associates team in a seamless package to cover all aspects of the Fire Safety Act and other relevant guidelines.

“We quickly realised that there’s a lot of uncertainty surrounding the Fire Safety Act, and in particular with regards to the requirement for an external fire risk assessment,” explained Mike Fox, founder and managing director of MAF Associates. “With Act One, the ‘Responsible Person’ can ask us to carry out all necessary checks and certifications to ensure full compliance with the new law, including signposting any remedial works that are needed, improvements in signage and evacuation plans, etc.”

As one of only a handful of UK firms able to offer the full range of services necessary to ensure compliance with the Fire Safety Act, MAF Associates is well placed to meet the growing demand for new-style internal and external fire risk assessments. The team includes facade engineers, surveyors and inspectors, as well as Chartered fire engineers and fire safety consultants.

Fox added: “The PAS 9980 document has been prepared to explain the detailed implementation of the Fire Safety Act and what it means in the real world. In addition, further secondary legislation is expected based on the final outcomes of the Grenfell Tower Inquiry, but many building owners and ‘Responsible Persons’ are anxious to know what they need to do to ensure fulfilment of their obligations given that they’re going to be personally liable for any issues that arise from non-compliance.”

He continued: “With enforcement of the Fire Safety Act yet to begin, there’s a window of opportunity to allow for the necessary enhancements to be made. With Act One, ‘Responsible Persons’ can engage MAF Associates to conduct a full end-to-end inspection and assessment, ensuring their buildings are fully in line with the spirit and letter of the new law. We will also identify potential issues such as non-standard external openings, defective fire doors to apartments and compromised compartmentation which may not have been illegal before, but have become so under the new law.”

*Further information is available online at www.mafassociates.co.uk