What Is a Building Control Fire Engineer's Report?

A building control fire engineer's report — sometimes called simply a fire strategy report or fire engineer's report — is the primary fire safety document submitted to a building control body as part of a building regulations application. It is produced by a chartered fire engineer and demonstrates that the design of a building meets the fire safety requirements of the Building Regulations, principally Part B (Fire Safety) of Schedule 1 to the Building Regulations 2010.

What Does the Report Contain?

• Statement of the applicable standards — Approved Document B, BS 9991, BS 9999 — and the compliance approach
• Description of the building — use, occupancy, storeys, floor areas, construction type
• Means of escape strategy — escape routes, travel distances, protected stairwells, exit widths
• Compartmentation strategy — compartment boundaries, fire resistance periods, fire door schedule
• Structural fire protection — fire resistance requirements for all structural elements
• Fire detection and alarm — category, coverage, zones, interface with other systems
• Suppression systems — where required, the design basis and scope
• Smoke control — strategy for protecting escape routes and supporting firefighting
• Firefighting facilities — rising mains, firefighting lifts, vehicle access

How Does It Differ from a Planning Fire Statement?

A planning fire statement (Gateway 1 or D12a) is produced at planning stage when detailed design is not yet available. It is a high-level document. A building control fire engineer's report is produced at technical design stage (RIBA Stage 4) and is significantly more detailed — it must demonstrate compliance with specific technical requirements and be coordinated with the submitted drawings.

Who Reviews It?

The building control body — either a local authority building control (LABC) team or a registered building control approver (RBCA, formerly known as an approved inspector) — reviews the fire engineer's report as part of the full plans application. For higher-risk buildings, the Building Safety Regulator (BSR) reviews fire safety documentation as part of the Gateway 2 process.

Common Reasons Reports Are Queried

• Drawings submitted do not match the design described in the report
• Travel distances calculated incorrectly or measured from outdated drawing versions
• Compartmentation not shown on the architectural drawings
• Fire door schedule missing or incomplete
• Structural fire protection not coordinated with structural engineer's specification