Response 1024607524

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Information Collection

2. By making a submission to this consultation you agree to the collection of the information you provide in your submission; and the use and disclosure of the information you provide in your submission as outlined above.

Please select one item
(Required)
Publish response
Publish response anonymously (this will remove personal identifiers including, name and organisation)
Do not publish

Principle 1- Installation and testing, certification and maintenance of nominated fire safety systems is regulated

9. Do you agree that the installation and testing, certification and maintenance of the fire safety systems listed in Attachment A should be regulated?

Please select one item
Yes
No
Unsure

10. Are there any additional fire safety systems not captured in the list?

Please select one item
Yes
No
Unsure

11. Do you agree that fire extinguishers and/or mechanical air handling systems do not require a declaration of installation compliance unless where requested by the statutory building surveyor?

Please select one item
Yes
No
Unsure
If No, provide alternative suggestions on how these systems should be regulated for installation, testing and certification.
If they are part of the fire strategy of a building then their installation should be certified, as example if the smoke exhaust is not working as designed then this will ahve an impact on how occupants can evacuate a building, or if fire extinguishers are not correct or working then again this will have an effect on how the initial spread of a fire is dealt with.

Principle 2- Installation and testing of fire safety systems is undertaken by registered practitioners

12. Do you agree with the recommendation that the fire system installer or plumber must test the installed fire safety systems and provide a Declaration of Installation Compliance?

Please select one item
Yes
No
Unsure

Principle 3 – Certification of fire safety systems is mandatory and is undertaken by independent and registered practitioners

13. Do you agree that the certification of the fire safety systems listed in Attachment A, should be undertaken by an independent and registered fire systems installer or plumber?

Please select one item
Yes
No
Unsure

14. Should the independent certification be undertaken by a fire systems installer or plumber with a Certificate IV qualification or should any additional qualification requirements be left to the discretion of the individual jurisdiction?

There should be a nationally accredited scheme. This will firstly provide consistency across the country and secondly allow practitioners to move between states with ease.

15. Are the requirements for an independent fire systems installer or plumber adequate to ensure no conflict of interest and independence exists between the original fire systems installer or plumber and independent fire systems installer or plumber?

Please select one item
Yes
No
Unsure

16. Should the independent fire systems installer or plumber be independent of the entity (e.g. company or business) that performed the installation or can it be another employee from the same entity?

Please select one item
Can be from the same entity
Must be independent of the entity that performed the installation

17. Do you agree that the owner or building approval applicant should engage the independent fire systems installer or plumber, ensuring they are competent and registered as per the NRF?

Please select one item
Yes
No
Unsure

Principle 4 – Statutory building surveyor is responsible for inspecting certified fire safety systems prior to issuing an occupancy approval or final certificate

18. Do you agree on the role of the statutory building surveyor in relation to visual inspections of certified fire safety systems installation?

Please select one item
Yes
No
Unsure
If No/Unsure, please provide alternative suggestions
Where systems are DTS under the NCC then yes a building surveyor can carry out the inspections. As soon as there is a performance solution then the designer of this solution must inspect and confirm that it has been installed in accordance with the design.

19. Should a fire safety designer (fire safety engineer) undertake the inspection of fire safety systems involving Performance Solutions prior to occupancy approval or should this be the role of the statutory building surveyor?

Please select all that apply
Fire safety designer (fire safety engineer)
Statutory building surveyor

Principle 5 – Routine maintenance of essential fire safety systems is regulated, undertaken by registered practitioners and reported to the building regulator annually

20. Do you agree that the occupancy approval should state which fire safety systems must be maintained and to which standard and maintenance interval?

Please select one item
Yes
No
Unsure
Provide comments
There should also be a full set of as built documentation, drawings, tech data, operational guides etc that should provided upon handover to the building’s owner so they know what systems there are and how they operate

21. Do you agree that the maintenance of specified fire safety systems should only be undertaken by registered fire systems installers or plumber?

Please select one item
Yes
No
Unsure

22. Do you agree that annual maintenance statements should be prepared and lodged with the state or territory building regulator for Class 2-9 buildings?

Please select one item
Yes
No
Unsure

Comments

23. Do you have any further comments?

There should be national forms for certifying compliance for both design and installation, similar to Queenslands form 15s and 16s
AS4072, especaillay appendix B, should be adopted into the NCC 2022