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How to find an accredited fire safety practitioner in NSW

Only an FPAS-accredited practitioner can carry out the assessment behind your AFSS. Here is what the accreditation is and how to check it.

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.

Check 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. Before you engage anyone, confirm they hold current accreditation for every measure on your building's fire safety schedule. A practitioner accredited for detection systems is not automatically accredited for passive fire or hydraulic measures.

What to confirm before engaging

Match the practitioner's accreditation to your schedule, measure by measure. Confirm they hold current professional indemnity insurance at an appropriate level. Ask how they handle rectification if a measure fails, and whether they can complete the assessment inside your three-month window. The practitioner directory on this site groups NSW firms that advertise accredited assessors by region as a starting point, but the register is the authority: verify accreditation there before you commit.

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. Confirm current requirements and figures with your council and the FPAA register.

Keep reading

• Who can sign an annual fire safety statement in NSW?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.
• What is an annual fire safety statement (AFSS)?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.
• 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.