What it is
A fire strategy report sets out how a specific building achieves fire safety: means of escape, compartmentation, structural protection, fire service access, and the systems that support them. We produce fire strategy reports aligned to Approved Document B, BS 9999 or BS 7974 as the building demands, written so that designers, contractors and building control can all act on the same understanding.
When you need it
- A new development needs a strategy for building regulations approval
- An existing strategy no longer matches the building or its use
- A refurbishment or change of use alters escape, compartmentation or occupancy
- Building control, insurers or purchasers have asked for one
What you receive
- A full fire strategy report with marked-up drawings
- Clear statements of the basis of design and any departures from guidance
- Revisions through design development to keep the strategy current
How we do it
- Brief and design review: the drawings, the intended use and occupancy, and the approval route are established before anything is written.
- Strategy drafting against the applicable benchmark — Approved Document B, BS 9999 or BS 7974, chosen for what the building demands rather than the consultant's preference.
- Coordination with the design team and building control, so the strategy answers the questions the approving authority will actually ask.
- Revision through design development — the issued strategy matches what is built, not what was first drawn.
What drives the cost
Cost depends on building size and complexity, whether the strategy is for a new design (drawings exist) or an existing building (survey time needed — see retrospective fire strategies), the number of design revisions supported through development, and the approval route. We scope each commission individually and provide a fixed fee before starting.
Common questions
Is a fire strategy a legal requirement?
Building regulations approval requires demonstrating compliance with Part B, and a fire strategy report is how a design of any complexity evidences that. Regulation 38 then requires fire safety information — including the strategy — to be handed to the responsible person at completion. For higher-risk buildings, the Building Safety Act gateway regime makes the strategy's information requirements explicit.
What is the difference between a fire strategy and a fire risk assessment?
Different questions. A fire strategy sets out how a building is designed to resist and survive fire — escape, compartmentation, systems — and you need one for new work, major change, or where the original is lost. A fire risk assessment is the legal duty for a building in use: it checks the measures actually in place and lists what to act on. New or altered building: strategy. A standing building you operate: assessment. Often both, in that order.
Which standard will my strategy follow — Approved Document B, BS 9999 or BS 7974?
Approved Document B suits straightforward buildings that sit comfortably within its guidance. BS 9999 applies a risk-profile approach that can earn justified flexibility — longer travel distances, different provisions — where the building's characteristics support it. BS 7974 is the performance-based framework for buildings that need engineered analysis. The building chooses the benchmark, not the consultant's preference; we state the basis of design and any departures plainly in the report.
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