Aged care facilities carry some of the most stringent fire safety obligations of any building type in Australia, and for good reason. Residents may have limited mobility, cognitive impairment, or complex medical needs that make self-evacuation impossible. In a fire emergency, the difference between life and death for an aged care resident often comes down entirely to the quality of the facility’s fire safety systems, staff training, and evacuation planning.
For aged care providers, facility managers, and building owners operating residential aged care facilities (RACFs), fire safety compliance is not just a regulatory obligation. It is a direct duty of care to the most vulnerable members of the community.
This guide covers the key fire safety requirements for aged care facilities in Australia, from the Class 9c building classification and mandatory sprinkler requirements through to AS 1851 maintenance, AFSS compliance, and the 2026 reforms.
Managing fire safety compliance for an aged care facility? Fire Safe ANZ provides essential services maintenance and AFSS support for Class 9c buildings across Australia. Request a quote today
Aged care facilities are classified as Class 9c buildings under the National Construction Code. This classification applies to residential care buildings where residents require personal care services and, in most cases, are unable to evacuate without assistance.
The Class 9c classification triggers some of the most demanding fire safety requirements in the NCC, including mandatory automatic fire sprinkler systems throughout resident areas, stringent smoke hazard management requirements, and compartmentation standards designed to allow for staged horizontal evacuation rather than the rapid vertical evacuation expected in other building types.
The fundamental difference between an aged care facility and most other commercial buildings is that residents cannot self-evacuate. Every fire safety system, every evacuation procedure, and every staff training program must account for this reality.
Automatic fire sprinkler systems are mandatory in all residential aged care facilities in Australia. In NSW, this requirement was legislated following the 2011 Quakers Hill nursing home fire, which resulted in the deaths of 11 residents and triggered a comprehensive reform of fire safety standards for the aged care sector.
Existing Commonwealth-accredited aged care facilities were required to retrofit sprinkler systems within 18 months of the legislation taking effect. Any facility that has not yet completed a sprinkler retrofit, or whose sprinkler system has not been maintained to AS 1851 requirements, is operating in serious non-compliance.
Special hazard areas within aged care facilities, including laundries, kitchens, storage rooms for flammable materials, and areas where oxygen is stored or used, require specific protection measures beyond standard residential sprinkler coverage. These areas must be identified and addressed in the facility’s fire safety schedule and maintenance program.
Stricter laws for automatic smoke detection in aged care facilities were introduced following the Quakers Hill tragedy. In NSW, alarm systems in residential aged care facilities must be connected to Fire and Rescue NSW, ensuring an automatic brigade response is triggered whenever an alarm activates.
Smoke detection systems in aged care facilities must cover all resident rooms, common areas, corridors, and service areas. The system must be maintained and tested in accordance with AS 1851, with all records documented and retained on site.
For a full breakdown of what FIP and fire alarm maintenance involves, read: FIP Testing: What Building Owners Need to Know
From 13 February 2026, AS 1851-2012 became mandatory for the routine maintenance of essential fire safety measures in all relevant buildings including aged care facilities in NSW. The 2026 reforms place a significant new onus on providers specifically.
Many of the changed requirements place an onus on the provider to prove that each component of each service was completed, not the fire services contractor as was the case before these recent changes. This means aged care providers must be able to demonstrate, through detailed maintenance records, that every required inspection and test has been carried out at the correct AS 1851 frequency.
In practical terms, this means:
For a full explanation of what AS 1851 requires, read: What Is AS 1851? A Guide for Building Owners
Only FPAS-accredited practitioners can certify essential fire safety measures in NSW aged care facilities. When engaging a fire protection company for your facility, confirm that the practitioners who will carry out your inspections and endorse your Annual Fire Safety Statement hold current FPAS accreditation, specifically for the essential fire safety measures installed in your building.
Given the range of systems typically installed in a Class 9c facility, including sprinklers, detection and alarm systems, hydrants, EWIS, and smoke hazard management, confirm that your provider’s accreditation covers every measure on your fire safety schedule, not just a subset of them.
For guidance on what to look for when choosing a provider, read: How to Choose a Fire Protection Company in Australia
Compartmentation is a particularly critical element of fire safety design in aged care facilities. Because residents cannot self-evacuate quickly, aged care facilities are designed around the principle of staged horizontal evacuation, where residents are moved from a fire-affected area into an adjacent fire compartment rather than immediately out of the building.
This approach only works if the compartmentation is intact and performing to standard. Fire-rated walls, fire doors, penetration seals, and fire dampers must all be maintained correctly and documented in the building’s maintenance records.
Fire doors are a particular compliance focus in aged care settings. Doors that are held open for resident access, fitted with non-compliant hardware, or have degraded self-closing mechanisms compromise the compartmentation strategy that the building’s fire safety design depends on.
For a full breakdown of passive fire protection requirements, read: Passive Fire Protection: What It Is and Why It Matters
Not sure if your aged care facility’s passive fire protection is intact? Fire Safe ANZ can assess your building and identify any deficiencies before your next AFSS. Get in touch
Emergency evacuation planning in an aged care facility is significantly more complex than in any other building type. Under AS 3745 and AS 4083 (the health care facilities standard), aged care providers must develop and maintain emergency procedures that specifically account for:
Evacuation diagrams must be displayed throughout the facility in accordance with AS 3745, and emergency response plans must be reviewed and updated at least annually. Many local authorities also require aged care facilities to provide a copy of their emergency response manual to the local fire brigade.
Fire Safe ANZ provides evacuation diagrams and fire warden training for aged care facilities, tailored to the specific challenges of evacuating residents with mobility and cognitive limitations.
Fire safety training for aged care staff is not optional. Staff must be trained to meet building fire safety regulation requirements, and fire safety officers must be appointed and given additional training above the baseline warden level.
Training must occur at induction for all new staff and at regular intervals thereafter. Given the high staff turnover typical in the aged care sector, maintaining a current and comprehensive warden training program requires active management, not a set-and-forget approach.
Fire Safe ANZ delivers practical warden training designed for the aged care environment, covering the specific challenges of resident-assisted evacuation, staged horizontal procedures, and communication with fire services during an emergency.
If your aged care facility has a fire safety schedule, you are required to lodge an Annual Fire Safety Statement with your local council every 12 months. The AFSS certifies that all essential fire safety measures have been inspected, tested, and are performing to the required standard.
From 13 February 2026, the AFSS cannot be endorsed unless maintenance records demonstrate compliance with AS 1851’s prescribed service frequencies across every system on your fire safety schedule. Given the range and complexity of systems typically installed in a Class 9c facility, this represents a significant documentation and maintenance management challenge.
For a full breakdown of the AFSS process, read:
An emerging fire risk in aged care facilities that requires specific attention is lithium-ion batteries in mobility scooters, electric wheelchairs, and other battery-powered devices used by residents and staff. The Aged Care Quality Standard 5, which covers the organisation’s service environment, requires providers to maintain a safe environment including managing fire risks from these devices.
A fire risk assessment for an aged care facility should specifically identify lithium battery storage and charging locations, and ensure appropriate suppression and detection systems are in place for those areas. Standard sprinkler and extinguisher coverage may not be sufficient for a lithium battery fire, which burns extremely hot and can reignite after apparent suppression.
Fire Safe ANZ provides comprehensive fire safety compliance services for residential aged care facilities across NSW, Queensland, Victoria, Western Australia, and beyond. Our services include:
Protect your residents with a compliant, proactive fire safety program. Call 1300 553 566 or request a quote online
