Every building approved by Council should have a Fire Schedule setting out where fire prevention and control equipment should be located. This Schedule is checked each year, and businesses are required to submit an Annual Fire Safety Statement to Council as evidence of compliance.

Surrounding Local Governments employ a suitably qualified person to review building approvals and draft a Fire Schedule for the structure.

Hawkesbury Council does not employ a qualified person to do these so businesses must pay private building consultants with relevant fire qualifications to make the Schedule.

Starting cost for this service is around $500 increasing rapidly depending on the size and complexity of the building to $1,000’s depending on the size of the structure.

Earlier this year Council sent letters to businesses stating they must submit a Fire Schedule with their Annual Fire Safety Statement, threatening fines for non-compliance.

It was reported by a business present at the meeting, that Council was now no longer demanding the Fire Schedule and just accepting the Annual Fire Safety Statements as it has done in past years.

REFERENCES:

NSW Fair Trading https://www.fairtrading.nsw.gov.au/__data/assets/word_doc/0009/1191357/fire-safety-schedule-v1.0.docx

NSW Planning https://www.planning.nsw.gov.au/policy-and-legislation/buildings/fire-safety-in-buildings/fire-safety-certification

There was general agreement that this matter is not going away and BLOR BC agreed to maintain a watching brief.