FPAA accreditation register: verify an NSW practitioner

Accreditation is not one-size-fits-all. Approved for detection systems does not mean approved for hydraulics. Check the FPAA register for the right one.

The assessment behind an annual fire safety statement has to be done by an accredited practitioner (fire safety): a person who does the specialist fire safety assessments the Regulation requires. Where the work is covered by the scheme, only a person accredited by the Fire Protection Association Australia (FPAA) can perform those functions.

What FPAS is

FPAS is the Fire Protection Accreditation Scheme, run by the FPAA. It is the NSW Government approved accreditation scheme for fire safety practitioners, and it was approved in 2020. Accreditation is granted for specific fire safety measures, so a practitioner is accredited to assess particular measures rather than everything by default.

Use the register

The FPAA publishes searchable registers of accredited practitioners on its website, including a Fire Safety Assessment register. You can search by name or location and see which measures a practitioner is accredited to assess. A practitioner accredited for detection systems is not automatically accredited for passive fire or hydraulic measures.

Questions for a practitioner

Ask about measure scope, current professional indemnity insurance, how they handle rectification if a measure fails, and whether they can complete the assessment inside your three-month window. The regional practitioner pages group NSW firms that advertise accredited assessors as a starting point; the FPAA register remains the source of current accreditation detail.

Sources

• Fire Protection Association Australia (FPAA), Fire Protection Accreditation Scheme (FPAS) register.
• NSW Government, fire safety practitioner requirements and accreditation.
• Environmental Planning and Assessment (Development Certification and Fire Safety) Regulation 2021 (NSW).

This is general information, not legal or compliance advice. Check requirements and figures with your council and the FPAA register.

Keep reading

• Who can sign an annual fire safety statement in NSW?The accredited practitioner who assesses your measures cannot sign your statement too. Here is exactly who can, and the rule that catches people out.
• AFSS explained: what an annual fire safety statement is in NSWStraight answer: what AFSS stands for, which NSW buildings need one, and what the accredited practitioner actually certifies.
• AFSS deadlines and penalties for late lodgement in NSWThe AFSS runs on a strict annual cycle with a three-month assessment window. Miss the due date and councils issue escalating penalty notices.