Fire Services Act, 1981

Fire safety notices.

20.—(1) A fire authority may serve on the owner or occupier of any building which appears to the authority to be a potentially dangerous building a notice (in this Act referred to as a fire safety notice) in accordance with this section.

(2) A fire safety notice in relation to a building may—

(a) prohibit the use of the building, or a specified part of the building, for the purpose or any of the purposes specified in the notice;

(b) prohibit the use of the building, or a specified part of the building, for the purpose or any of the purposes specified in the notice unless or until specified precautions are taken to the satisfaction of the fire authority whether by the provision in the building of specified appliances or fittings or by the execution of specified structural alterations or additions to the building, or by the removal from the building of furniture, furnishings, fittings or any other material or thing, or by the doing in relation to the building or its contents of any other thing whatsoever.

(3) A fire safety notice may impose on the owner or occupier of a building requirements as to—

(a) the provision and maintenance of exit signs, emergency lighting and notices as to the procedure to be followed in the event of fire;

(b) the arrangements to be made for the provision and maintenance of equipment and fittings for fire detection, fire prevention, the extinguishing of fires, the giving of warning in case of fire, and for securing that the means of escape can be safely and effectively used at all material times;

(c) the installation, maintenance and use of the power, lighting, heating and ventilating systems of the building;

(d) the arrangements to be made for the safe storage of flammable, explosive or potentially explosive articles or materials used, stored or deposited in the building;

(e) the measures to be taken for securing that persons employed in the building receive appropriate instruction or training in fire safety, and in what to do in the event of fire, and that records are kept of such instruction or training;

(f) the holding of fire safety evacuation drills at specified intervals, and that records are kept of such drills;

(g) the nomination of an appropriate person or persons employed in the building to have responsibility for fire safety measures in the building; and

(h) limiting the number of persons who may be in the building at any one time.

(4) Where a fire safety notice requires the carrying out of any work and the owner or occupier alleges that the whole or part of the expense of the work should be borne by the occupier or owner, he may apply to the District Court for an order concerning the expenses or their apportionment and the Court shall have jurisdiction to make such order as it thinks just.

(5) Where a fire authority is of the opinion that a flammable, explosive or potentially explosive substance is used, stored or deposited adjacent to buildings in such a manner as to represent a serious danger to life, the authority may serve a fire safety notice on the owner or occupier of the land on which the substance is used, stored or deposited requiring the taking of specified measures to reduce the danger to a reasonable level.

(6) A fire safety notice may specify a time within which any requirement shall be complied with.

(7) A fire precautions notice in force under the Fire Brigades Act, 1940 , immediately before the commencement of this section shall continue in force and shall be deemed to be a fire safety notice.

(8) Each fire authority shall keep at its offices a register of fire safety notices served by it and the register shall be open to inspection by any person at all reasonable times.