Plain-English explainers on the NSW annual fire safety statement (AFSS): what it is, who signs it, deadlines and penalties, and how the process works. Sourced to the Regulation, the NSW Planning Portal and Fire and Rescue NSW.
The AFSS is the yearly document that certifies a NSW building's essential fire safety measures still perform. Here is what it covers and who it applies to.
A common point of confusion: the accredited practitioner assesses the measures, but the owner signs the statement. There is a specific rule about who cannot sign.
The fire safety schedule is the master list of a building's essential fire safety measures. It defines exactly what the annual statement has to certify.
They sound similar and cover the same measures, but a fire safety certificate is a one-off at the end of building work, while the AFSS repeats every year.
The types of essential fire safety measure in NSW, what each one is, what the annual assessment covers, and how your fire safety schedule defines which apply.
Seven specific AFSS compliance mistakes that catch strata managers out, from missing the due-date register to breaking the owner-declaration separation rule, with a practical fix for each.