Mandatory AS 1851 and Fire Safety Certificate (FSC) Deferral

Redmen Fire Protection’s response to announcement of mandatory AS 1851 and Fire Safety Certificate (FSC) Deferral

For the past several years, the fire protection industry has been awaiting the introduction of mandatory compliance with Australian Standard AS 1851 in New South Wales.

AS 1851, or Australian Standard 1851-2012, is the Australian standard for the routine service of fire protection systems and equipment, outlining requirements for inspection, testing, preventive maintenance, and surveys to ensure fire safety systems remain effective and reliable

Here at Redmen Fire Protection Management we had been preparing for it during that time.  We:

• provided extra training and accreditation for our staff,
• worked with our customers to ensure that the transition for them was as seamless as possible.
• embarked on an education program that took in our staff, practitioners working for other fire protection companies, and the customer base. And not just our customer base, but the business community at large.

You can see one of the webinars that I conducted here at Vimeo:

Mandatory AS 1851 deferral

However, the NSW Government announced in January that it would defer the introduction of two major fire safety requirements:

• A 12-month deferral to 13 February 2026 for compliance with AS 1851. This Australian Standard mandates the frequency of fire safety servicing and maintenance; and
• A 24-month deferral to 13 February 2027 for requiring a fire safety certificate to only be issued following an assessment by an accredited practitioner (fire safety).

This AS 1851 deferral means the fire protection requirements status quo in NSW will remain relatively unchanged for the next year.

The fire protection industry response to the AS 1851 deferral

In response, the industry’s peak body, the Fire Protection Association of Australia (FPAA), said in a statement that it acknowledges these reforms got mixed responses within the sector. While the FPAA strongly advocated for the benefits these changes bring to FPAA members and the broader community, it recognises not all industry stakeholders are ready to support immediate implementation.

The FPAA notes that it’s crucial to highlight that although these requirements are not mandatory yet, building owners still have an obligation to maintain their fire safety systems. They say that AS 1851 remains the national benchmark for fire safety servicing and maintenance. There’s no reason it shouldn’t have implementation now, in buildings across the state.

Redmen position on AS 1851 deferral

Here at Redmen Fire Protection Management, we are firmly in agreement with the peak body, of which we are a proud and active member.

In recognition of the preparedness of its practitioners, Redmen Fire Protection Management will continue to advocate for the immediate adoption of AS 1851.

Redmen Fire Protection Management remains available to guide customers through the outcomes in respect to AS 1851. We will continue to advocate for clearer communication, stronger support, and resources from the Government to ensure readiness for the new deadlines.

We also advise our customer base to continue working towards AS 1851 compliance. It may be deferred, but it will be mandatory still in a relatively short time. You don’t want to find yourself in a position where you need to become compliant, but the resources to do so are not available, as everyone else is also scrambling belatedly to get compliance. Contact us now if you want to work towards compliance well before the deadline.

If you are a fire protection customer, or another practitioner, and want to have your say about this AS 1851 deferral, please contact me at .

Redmen Fire Protection Management is a Sydney, Central Coast and Newcastle, NSW based family company with hundreds of years of combined experience in the field. Contact us for all your fire safety needs.