What is a Fire and Emergency File?

A Fire and Emergency File brings together key information about a building’s fire safety and emergency arrangements in a clear and usable format. Its purpose is to ensure that accurate, relevant information is available to support:

• Safe occupation of the building
• Emergency response and firefighting operations
• Ongoing building management and maintenance
• Regulatory oversight at completion and occupation

For Higher-Risk Buildings, the Fire and Emergency File helps demonstrate that fire safety risks have been identified, managed and recorded in a way that aligns with Gateway approvals and ongoing safety duties.

No. Fire and Emergency Files are most commonly required for residential buildings subject to enhanced regulatory oversight, particularly those classified as Higher-Risk Buildings.

Whether a Fire and Emergency File is required depends on the building type, height, use, scope of works and the applicable regulatory framework. For projects that fall within the HRB regime, Fire and Emergency information is typically expected to form part of the wider safety information reviewed at Gateway stages and at completion.

If you are unsure whether a building is classified as an HRB, see What is a Higher-Risk Building?.

Although Fire and Emergency Files are typically required at completion and handover, they are most effective when considered early in the design and compliance process.

Early coordination helps ensure that information is accurate, complete and aligned with the approved fire strategy, rather than being assembled retrospectively. Information developed during Gateway 2 submissions and coordinated through design development often forms the foundation of the Fire and Emergency File.

Treating the FEF as a downstream document can increase the risk of inconsistencies, omissions or late regulatory queries.

Following completion, responsibility for maintaining and updating the Fire and Emergency File usually sits with the building owner or Accountable Person.

The file should remain up to date to reflect changes to the building, fire safety systems or management arrangements. This ongoing responsibility forms part of the wider Golden Thread obligation, ensuring that safety-critical information remains accurate, accessible and usable throughout occupation.

Clear allocation of responsibility is essential to avoid gaps in information over time.

For Higher-Risk Buildings, Fire and Emergency information may form part of the evidence reviewed at Gateway stages, particularly at completion.

Incomplete, inconsistent or poorly coordinated fire safety information can contribute to delay, additional scrutiny or requests for clarification from the Building Safety Regulator. A well-structured Fire and Emergency File helps demonstrate continuity between the approved fire strategy, the constructed building and the information being handed over for occupation.

This alignment supports timely approvals and helps avoid late-stage regulatory issues. For further context, see What is a Gateway 2 application?.

If you are looking for support preparing a Fire and Emergency File, visit our High-Risk Building Consultancy Services or explore the High Risk Building Hub (HRBH).

Examples of our work include a Fire & Emergency File produced for Gateway 2 Validation Achieved in Three Working Days, and a current live project where Fire & Emergency File coordination forms part of the Gateway strategy: Navigating Gateway 2 in Knightsbridge.