AS1851-2012 (incorporating Amendment 1) is most recent Australian Standard for Routine Service of Fire Protection Systems & Equipment.
Buildings owners are required under law to carry out the maintenance of Essential Fire Safety Measures in accordance with AS1851 as of 13th February 2025.
The change in legislation occurred in the December 2022 amendment of the The Environmental Planning and Assessment (Development Certification and Fire Safety) Regulation 2021, which reads as follows:Â
AS1851 is essentially a detailed instruction manual designed to tell suitably competent personnel exactly how to inspect and test fire safety measures. It dictates how often each fire safety measure should be inspected, and breaks down the exact steps/checks to undertake at each inspection.
Although AS1851 has been best practise in NSW for many years, most fire protection companies only used it as a guide, so maintenance regimes for some buildings will change as a result of it being legislated. This will have an cost impact for most buildings. At Civil Fire for example, we previously considered replacing 10 year old smoke alarms a recommendation only. Under AS1851, we must insist they are replaced as this is a step spelled out in black & white under the yearly testing regime (Table 6.4.2.3 Item No. 2.8):
AS1851 should have a positive impact on building owners as well. Testing and maintenance across the fire safety industry will be regulated, which should lead to a higher level of fire safety for owners.
It is important to note: the legislation puts the onus on the owner of a building to ensure maintenance activities for each essential fire safety measure are being carried out in accordance with AS1851. Building owners should check to ensure their contractors are undertaking maintenance accordingly.
Record Keeping
An entire section of AS1851 (1.16) is dedicated to keeping records. The current version of AS1851 requires that all servicing is recorded onsite via a physical logbook, a maintenance tag or a maintenance sticker. There are strict requirements around how these logbooks and stickers must present and what they are to contain.
Larger buildings with complicated measures such as hydrants, sprinklers, pumpsets, fire detection systems and water storage tanks, may expect to have 7-8 logbooks being used at any one time. Old logbooks must be kept onsite for 7 years, so this may create a challenge when it comes to safe storage for these documents.
Again, the legislation puts the onus on the owner of a building to ensure records required by AS1851 are kept (Section 81A, clause 2).Â
Major Servicing
At present, Civil Fire’s service agreements include monthly, six-monthly and annual inspections as standard. Once AS1851 has come into effect, 5, 10, 15, 25 and 30 yearly servicing of certain fire safety measures will also become mandatory.Â
At Civil Fire we have begun issuing quotes for these major services, so buildings have time to budget before the legislation comes into force on the 13th February 2025. After February 2025, these major services are mandatory and it is the responsibility of the building owners to ensure they are carried out and records are kept.
The steps in major servicing can be extensive. For example, a 5 yearly service for a hydrant system can include:
- A flow test
- A full hydrostatic test
- A full service of the hydrant booster
- Replacement/refurbishment of all hydrant landing valves onsite
- Replacement/refurbishment of all check valves
- Replacement/refurbishment of pressure gauges
In order to complete the service, the hydrant system needs to be fully drained (emptied of water). A pipe freeze may be required if the water supply cannot be isolated. Depending on the age & condition of the system there may be access or compatibility issues to overcome.
Additional Costs to Owners
The NSW Government released a Regulatory Impact Statement in regards to the additional costs for implementing AS1851. The government predicts fire safety maintenance costs to increase as follows (depending on the size of your building):Â
 For a small building with non-complex measures and no hydrant (and no fire panel, sprinklers, or pumps) could range from $850 per annum (Class 2 residential building) to $1,500 for a Class 5 building (small office).
A medium sized building could be $3,000 to $12,500 for a Class 2 (residential) or 3 (hotel) building with some complex measures, hydrants and fire safety panel, sprinklers and pumps; or $3,500 to $8,500 for a medium Class 5 (office building) or Class 6 (shop).
- For large buildings, Class 2 (residential) buildings over 25 metres in height with the full range of measures and which may be large complexes involving multiple strata buildings the cost could be $12,500 to $55,000 per annum. This could increase for Class 3 buildings (hotels) to up to $95,000 where multiple buildings are involved. For large Class 5 buildings (office, could cover multiple buildings), the range is estimated at $15,000 to $65,000 per annum, increasing to up to $75,000 for a large Class 6 (retail).
