When do I need a fire report?

Fire Exit Building Consent Authorities (BCA) generally require a fire report with a building consent application whenever any of the following building works are proposed;

A new building
Alterations to an existing building
Change of use of an existing building
Subdivision of land that affects a building
Extending the life of a building beyond its specified life

The relevant BCA should be consulted regarding the building consent requirements for your project.

Why do I need a fire report?

A Fire Report documents the fire safety design for the building and specifies the fire safety features that must be incorporated into the building in order for it to comply with the New Zealand Building Code (NZBC). The fire safety report has several functions;

The information is used by building design professionals during design to ensure fire safety features are incorporated into the building works.
Building Consent Authorities rely on the Fire Safety Report as evidence the building design complies with the NZBC fire safety requirements.
The report is used as a reference document during construction of the building works.
It forms part of the ongoing building documentation and is a valuable record of the building’s fire safety design should the building undergo alterations or change of use in the future.

How do you comply with the New Zealand Building Code (NZBC) fire safety requirements?

The NZBC documents the Objectives, Functional and Performance Requirements needed to achieve and maintain a level of safety from fire in buildings that is acceptable to the wider New Zealand public.

The Performance requirements describe the criteria necessary for the building fire safety design to achieve for compliance with the NZBC. For a BCA to grant a Building Consent for building work it must be shown that the design (including fire safety design) complies with the relevant performance requirements.

There are three ways to comply with the performance requirements of the NZBC. They are;

Comply with the ‘Acceptable Solutions’ contained in the NZBC Compliance Documents. A design based on the Compliance Documents is often termed an ‘Acceptable Solution’ and is deemed to comply with the performance requirements. The BCA must grant a Building Consent if the design fully complies with the relevant Compliance Documents.
To use Verification Methods contained in the Compliance Documents to demonstrate to the BCA that the performance criteria have been met.
To develop an ‘Alternative Solution’ for all or part of the fire safety design. The Alternative Solution details the fire engineering method(s) used to demonstrate compliance with the relevant performance requirement.

What is fire engineering?

The International Standard Organisation (ISO) defines fire engineering as;

‘the application of engineering principles, rules and expert judgement based on a scientific appreciation of the fire phenomena, of the effects of fire, and the reaction and behaviour of people, in order to:
save life, protect property and preserve the environment and heritage;
quantify the hazards and risk of fire and its effects;
evaluate analytically the optimum protective and preventative measures necessary to limit, within prescribed levels, the consequences of fire’

Links to websites

For information regarding development of an evacuation scheme or plan for a building go to the New Zealand Fire service website http://evaconline.fire.org.nz/

For information regarding the Building Act, New Zealand Building Code and Compliance Documents go to the Department of Building and Housing website http://dbh.govt.nz/building-code-compliance-documents