Fire safety schedule NSW: what it is and how it drives your AFSS

A fire safety schedule lists every essential measure your building must maintain, and your AFSS can't skip one. Here's what it covers and why it matters.

What is a fire safety schedule?

A fire safety schedule is the document that lists all of the essential fire safety measures that apply to a building, together with the minimum standard of performance each measure must meet. An NSW fire safety schedule plays a key role in making sure a building's fire safety measures are installed and maintained to a minimum performance standard, and it is the reference point for both the fire safety certificate and every annual fire safety statement afterwards.

Where the schedule comes from

A schedule is created or updated when a development consent, complying development certificate, or fire safety order requires fire safety measures. It is issued by the consent authority or certifier as part of the approval. From that point on, the schedule defines the building's fire safety obligations.

The schedule is not static. Building work, a change of use, or a fire safety upgrade order can all change which measures apply and to what standard, which means the schedule is amended and future statements certify against the new version.

Since 1 August 2023, a newly issued fire safety schedule has had to be issued on the NSW Government's standard FSS template. An existing schedule does not need to move onto that template unless a new schedule is required for the building.

How it drives the annual statement

The AFSS has to address every measure on the current schedule, at the standard the schedule specifies. If a building's schedule lists a sprinkler system, a fire hydrant system, emergency lighting, exit signage and fire doors, the accredited practitioner assesses each of those against its listed standard, and the statement certifies each one. Nothing on the schedule can be skipped.

This is why the schedule matters for compliance planning. If you do not have a current copy, get one before the assessment: the practitioner needs it to know what to inspect, and the statement is only valid if it addresses the right list. The owner is also required to keep a copy of the schedule and the current statement displayed in the building.

Sources

• Environmental Planning and Assessment (Development Certification and Fire Safety) Regulation 2021 (NSW).
• NSW Planning Portal, fire safety certification.

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

Keep reading

• Annual fire safety statement NSW (AFSS): what it is, who needs itPlain-English answer: what an AFSS actually certifies, which NSW buildings must have one, and how often it needs to be issued.
• AFSS meaning: how it differs from a fire safety certificateAFSS or fire safety certificate: which one your NSW building actually needs, and why they are not interchangeable.
• Essential fire safety measures in NSWThe 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.