Fire Precautions Act 1971

6 Contents of fire certificate

(1) Every fire certificate issued with respect to any premises shall specify—

(a) the particular use or uses of the premises which the certificate covers; and

(b) the means of escape in case of fire with which the premises are provided ; and

(c) the means (other than means for fighting fire) with which the relevant building is provided for securing that the means of escape with which the premises are provided can be safely and effectively used at all material times; and

(d) the type, number and location of the means for fighting fire (whether in the premises or affecting the means of escape) with which the relevant building is provided for use in case of fire by persons in the building; and

(e) the type, number and location of the means with which the relevant building is provided for giving to persons in the premises warning in case of fire,

and may, where appropriate, do so by means of or by reference to a plan.

(2) A fire certificate issued with respect to any premises may impose such requirements as the fire authority consider appropriate in the circumstances—

(a) for securing that the means of escape in case of fire with which the premises are provided are properly maintained and kept free from obstruction;

(b) for securing that the means with which the relevant building is provided as mentioned in subsection (1)(c) to (e) above are properly maintained ;

(c) for securing that persons employed to work in the premises receive appropriate instruction or training in what to do in case of fire, and that records are kept of instruction or training given for that purpose ;

(d) for limiting the number of persons who may be in the premises at any one time ; and

(e) as to other precautions to be observed in the relevant building in relation to the risk, in case of fire, to persons in the premises.

(3) Any requirements imposed by virtue of subsection (2) above by a fire certificate issued with respect to any premises—

(a) may, in so far as they apply to the premises, be framed either so as to apply to the whole of the premises or so as to apply to one or more parts of them ; and

(b) where the premises do not constitute the whole of the relevant building, may (where appropriate) be framed either so as to apply to the whole of the rest of that building or so as to apply to one or more parts of the rest of it,

and different requirements may, in either case, be imposed in relation to different parts; and a fire certificate covering more than one use of the premises to which it relates may by virtue of subsection (2) above impose different requirements in relation to different uses of the premises or of any part of the premises.

(4) For the purposes of this Act a fire certificate issued with respect to any premises shall be treated as requiring every matter specified in the certificate in accordance with subsection (1)(b), (c), (d) or (e) above to be kept in accordance with its specification in the certificate; and references in this Act to requirements imposed by a fire certificate shall be construed accordingly.

(5) In so far as a requirement imposed by a fire certificate issued with respect to any premises requires anything to be done or not to be done to or in relation to any part of the relevant building, the person responsible for any contravention thereof shall (subject to any provision included in the certificate in pursuance of this subsection) be the occupier of that part; but if as regards any such requirement, in so far as it requires anything to be done or not to be done to or in relation to any part of the relevant building, the fire authority consider it appropriate in the circumstances to provide that some other person or persons shall be responsible for any contravention thereof instead of, or in addition to, the occupier of that part, they may so provide in the certificate and, if the certificate covers more than one use of the premises, may in pursuance of this subsection make different provision therein in relation to different uses of the premises.

(6) Subject to subsection (7) below, a fire authority—

(a) shall not issue a fire certificate which would have the effect of making a person responsible under or by virtue of subsection (5) above for contraventions of a requirement imposed by the certificate, or make in a fire certificate any amendment which would have that effect, unless (in either case) they have previously consulted the person in question about his proposed responsibility for contraventions of the requirement; and

(b) shall not amend a fire certificate so as to vary any requirement imposed by it, in a case where any person already responsible under or by virtue of subsection (5) above for contraventions of that requirement is to continue to be so responsible when the variation takes effect, unless they have previously consulted that person about the proposed variation ;

but, without prejudice to any right of appeal conferred by section 9 of this Act, a fire certificate shall not be invalidated by any failure of the fire authority by whom it is issued to comply with the requirements of this subsection.

(7) Where a fire authority propose to issue a new fire certificate with respect to any premises as an alternative to amending an existing fire certificate, and the new certificate would have the effect of reimposing without variation a requirement imposed by the existing certificate and of making any person who is responsible under or by virtue of subsection (5) above for contraventions of the existing requirement continue to be so responsible for contraventions of it as reimposed, the authority shall not be required under subsection (6) above to consult that person by reason only of that fact.

(8) A fire certificate issued with respect to any premises other than premises in relation to which a notice under section 3 of this Act is in force shall be sent to the occupier of the premises and shall be kept in the premises so long as it is in force.

(9) A fire certificate issued with respect to any premises in relation to which a notice under section 3 of this Act is in force shall be sent to the notified person and, if that person is not the occupier of the premises, a copy of the certificate shall be sent to the occupier of the premises; and so long as the certificate is in force—

(a) the certificate shall be kept in the relevant building; and

(b) where a copy of the certificate is by this subsection required to be sent to the occupier of the premises, the copy shall be kept in the premises.