Fire documentation for apartment buildings

Fire documentation for apartment buildings

During preventive fire inspections of apartment buildings we keep finding the same things. Furniture in the common areas, a locked emergency exit, prams and bicycles in the corridor. And alongside that, documentation that has nothing to do with the building.

It happens that a community of apartment owners has a fire statute in its binder taken over from a manufacturing company, alarm instructions with telephone numbers that have not been valid for years, or an evacuation plan drawn for a different layout. The paper is there, the sense is not.

What an apartment building must have

Both the community of apartment owners and the management company are legal persons from the perspective of Act No. 314/2001 Coll. on fire protection, and their duties are the same as a company's. Fire protection documentation is governed by Decree of the Ministry of the Interior of the Slovak Republic No. 121/2002 Coll.

For an apartment building this means in practice fire rules for the premises adapted to that specific building, fire alarm instructions with valid contacts, a fire evacuation plan matching the actual layout, a fire log with entries, and documents on checks of fire extinguishers and fire water mains.

The documentation must fit the building. Not a template.

Preventive fire inspections

They are carried out at the intervals under Section 14 of Decree No. 121/2002 Coll., which depend on the character of the building. The entry must make clear when the inspection took place, what was found, who found it and by when it is to be remedied. An entry without a deadline and without a follow-up check of the remedy is a mere formality.

Fire extinguishers and hydrants

A portable fire extinguisher is checked under Section 9 of Decree of the Ministry of the Interior of the Slovak Republic No. 347/2022 Coll. at least once every 24 months, or at a shorter interval set by the manufacturer in its instructions. In practice most operations keep to an annual interval. The pressure test of the vessel is done once every five years.

Watch the placement too. Under Section 6(9) of the same decree the handle of a portable fire extinguisher may be no more than 1.5 metres above the floor. An extinguisher hung high under the ceiling is a deficiency.

Checks of the equipment supplying water for firefighting, that is hydrants, are carried out at least once every 12 months under Section 15 of Decree of the Ministry of the Interior of the Slovak Republic No. 699/2004 Coll.

One thing to ask your supplier about

If the technician takes your fire extinguishers or hoses away for a pressure test, the building is left with no means of firefighting. Sometimes for several days. Ask in advance whether replacement units will be supplied for that time. We leave them there.

How we do it

For apartment buildings and managers we can provide the whole of fire protection including documentation, inspections and checks. Have a look at fire protection and inspection of fire protection equipment, or write to us how many flats the building has and what is already done.