Ignition Sources & Fuel
Electrical installations and appliances, cooking equipment, heaters, smoking, hot works, and how much combustible material is stored and where.
Your legal starting point
Fire Risk Assessments
A competent written assessment of your premises, a prioritised action plan you can work through, and a company that can carry out the work it recommends.
FixedPrice quoted upfront
5 daysWorking days to report
PAS 79Assessment methodology
OneCompany for the remedials
Who needs one, and how often
The Duty Sits With You
If you're responsible for a business, a workplace, or the shared areas of a residential building, fire safety law requires you to carry out a fire risk assessment and keep it up to date. That's the Fire (Scotland) Act 2005 in Scotland, the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 in England and Wales, and the Fire Safety Regulations (NI) 2010 in Northern Ireland.
In England and Wales, the Building Safety Act 2022 removed the old five-employee exemption in October 2023, so the assessment must now be written down in every case and name the competent person who produced it. Wherever your building is, we always give you a full written report. In practice, most businesses, landlords and operators are asked for one by their insurer, their licensing officer or their lender long before the fire service comes calling.
There's no single legal interval; the duty is to keep the assessment current. As a working rule we review annually, and immediately after anything that changes the risk: a change of use, new occupants or staffing patterns, building work, a layout alteration, or a near miss.
The assessment itself is the cheap part. What matters is that it's done by someone competent, that it identifies the real risks in your building rather than working through a generic checklist, and that the actions it lists actually get completed.
What we look at
The Nine Areas We Assess
Every assessment follows a consistent structure, so nothing is left to memory on the day.
People at Risk
Who is in the building, when, and how well they know it. Sleeping occupants, lone workers, anyone with mobility, sensory or cognitive needs, and visitors.
Means of Escape
Travel distances, escape route widths, protected stairways, final exits, door furniture, and whether routes are actually clear rather than clear on paper.
Compartmentation
Fire doors and their seals, hinges and closers, ceiling and wall integrity, service penetrations, loft hatches, and the condition of the protected route.
Detection & Warning
Alarm grade and category against BS 5839, detector siting and type, interlinking, sounder coverage, and whether the system suits how the building is actually used.
Firefighting Equipment
Extinguisher type, siting and service status against BS 5306, fire blankets in kitchens, and whether anyone on site has been shown how to use them.
Lighting & Signage
Emergency lighting coverage to BS 5266, escape route signage, fire action notices, and the test records that prove the system has been maintained.
Management & Records
Your fire logbook, weekly alarm tests, drills, staff training, contractor controls, and the certificates for gas, electrical and alarm servicing.
Action Plan
Every finding graded by priority with a realistic timescale, so you know what has to happen this week and what can wait until the next review.
What happens
The Assessment, Step by Step
Tell Us About the Premises
What the building is used for, the number of floors and how many people use it. That's enough for a fixed price.
We Attend Site
A full walk of the premises including common parts, escape routes, plant and storage areas, with photographs taken as we go.
Your Report Arrives
A written assessment within 5 working days, with photographs, findings graded by priority, and a signed action plan.
We Talk It Through
A call to go through what it found, what's urgent, what's advisory, and roughly what the remedial work costs.
The Work Gets Done
Alarms, doors, extinguishers, lighting and signage installed by us, with certificates issued and the actions signed off.
Common questions
What People Usually Ask
How much does a fire risk assessment cost?
It depends on the size and complexity of the building rather than a flat rate. A small shop or office takes a fraction of the time a restaurant, a care setting or a multi-storey building does. Tell us what the premises are used for, the number of floors and how many people use them, and we'll give you a fixed price before we attend, with nothing added afterwards.
Does my business or building legally need one?
Almost certainly. Fire safety law in every UK nation covers virtually all non-domestic premises: offices, shops, restaurants, pubs, hotels, factories, warehouses, schools, care settings and places of worship, plus the shared areas of flats and houses in multiple occupation. Councils also make a current assessment a condition of HMO and short-term let licences, and insurers routinely expect one.
How often does it need reviewing?
The legal duty is to keep it current rather than to renew it on a fixed date. Annually is the sensible working rule, and sooner if you alter the building, change its use, or the way it's occupied changes. If your premises are licensed, check the conditions, as some councils specify an interval.
Can I do it myself?
The law requires the assessment to be suitable and sufficient, and in England and Wales it must be carried out by a competent person. For a very simple, low-risk premises a well-informed owner may manage it. For anywhere with sleeping occupants, a commercial kitchen, vulnerable people, or a protected stairway, the judgement involved is well beyond a downloadable template, and an inadequate assessment is treated as no assessment at all.
Who will carry out my assessment?
Your assessment is carried out by Robert Haughey, who owns and runs Hawk Fire Protection. Hawk is a member of the Fire Protection Association, and Robert is working towards his Level 4 qualification in fire risk assessment through the FPA and FireQual. You deal with the same person from the first call through to the completed work.
Do you carry out the work you recommend?
Yes, and you're under no obligation to use us for it. We install fire alarms, fire doors, emergency lighting and extinguishers, so most action plans can be closed out by one company rather than four. If you'd rather use your own contractor, the report is yours to take anywhere.
Book Your Assessment
Tell us about the property and we'll come back with a fixed price and a date.