Standards update — national approach to fire protection maintenance

The Victorian Government has adopted Australian Standard AS 1851-2012, Routine service of fire protection systems and equipment, for all new and existing buildings, making it the last of all Australian states and territories to do so.

The change is an opportunity for national businesses to streamline the maintenance of fire protection systems and equipment across all their operations, according to fire protection specialist Wormald.

“Historically, the routine servicing of fire protection systems and equipment has been regulated differently in each state and territory,” said John Lynch, general manager of business services at Wormald. “For those businesses operating across multiple states, or indeed nationwide, this meant taking an inefficient, siloed approach to fire safety.

“The introduction of AS 1851-2012 in Victoria marks a new benchmark for best practice, and Wormald urges building owners and occupiers to adopt this as standard operating procedure.

“This can help to improve fire safety measures, reduce administrative costs and eliminate duplication and inefficiencies across the business.”

A standardised system for categorising defects

AS1851-2012 prescribes routine servicing activities for fire protection systems and equipment to help ensure these are kept in proper working order.

Importantly, the standard identifies a clear and compelling system for categorising defects. “Adopting this system across all operations can streamline the maintenance and servicing of fire protection systems,” said Lynch.

“It makes it easier to identify and manage defects in a consistent manner. Improved reporting and management also helps to reduce the risk of error, enhances efficiency and may decrease costs,” he added.  

Under AS1851-2012, defects are classified as follows:

• Critical defects render a system inoperative and are reasonably likely to have a significant adverse impact on the safety of building occupants — for example, an impaired water supply which is unable to provide water to a sprinkler system.
• Non-critical defects include a system impairment or faulty component that is unlikely to critically affect the operation of the system — for example, a local alarm bell that isn’t working.
• Non-conformance defects include those features that are missing or incorrect and are required to facilitate ongoing routine service but do not affect how the system operates — for example, missing or incorrect zone block plans.

A reputable fire protection provider can assist with developing and implementing a robust program for categorising and managing defects in compliance with AS1851-2012.