Choosing the wrong fire protection company is not just an inconvenience. It can result in invalid Annual Fire Safety Statements, unresolved defects, council enforcement action, and in a worst-case scenario, fire safety systems that fail during a real emergency.
The Australian fire protection sector does not have mandatory licensing requirements for technicians in most states and territories. That means the market includes providers ranging from highly accredited, experienced companies through to sole traders with limited qualifications carrying out work they are not authorised to certify. As a building owner or facilities manager, the responsibility for engaging a competent, accredited provider sits with you.
This guide explains what to look for, what questions to ask, and what red flags to avoid when choosing a fire protection company in Australia.
Fire Safe ANZ is a nationally operating fire protection company with accredited practitioners across Australia. Request a quote today
If your building is required to lodge an Annual Fire Safety Statement in NSW, the person who endorses that statement must be an Accredited Practitioner (Fire Safety), also known as an APFS. This is a legal requirement, not a preference.
The FPAS (Fire Protection Accreditation Scheme) was developed by Fire Protection Association Australia (FPAA) and approved as the mandatory accreditation scheme in NSW on 1 July 2020. Only an APFS accredited under this scheme is legally authorised to inspect, assess, and sign AFSS documents. Using an unaccredited contractor to certify your AFSS can invalidate the certification entirely and expose you to prosecution.
You can verify a practitioner’s accreditation on the FPAA’s public register at fpaa.com.au. When checking, confirm that the practitioner holds accreditation for every specific essential fire safety measure listed on your building’s fire safety schedule, not just accreditation in general. Some practitioners are accredited for a subset of measures only.
If your provider cannot or will not confirm their APFS accreditation, that is a clear signal to look elsewhere.
From 13 February 2026, all essential fire safety measures in NSW must be maintained in accordance with AS 1851-2012. The standard requires that all routine service work be performed by a competent person, defined as someone who has acquired, through training, qualification, and experience, the knowledge and skill to correctly perform the required tasks.
Unlike AFSS endorsement, which requires FPAS accreditation, the competent person requirement for routine maintenance does not have a single mandatory licensing scheme in most states. This creates real risk for building owners who engage contractors without checking their qualifications.
When evaluating a fire protection company, ask specifically about the qualifications and experience of the technicians who will carry out routine servicing at your building, not just the person who signs off on the paperwork. A company that employs qualified technicians with relevant AQF units of competency and documented experience across the systems on your fire safety schedule is meeting the standard. A company that cannot answer this question clearly may not be.
Fire safety compliance involves multiple systems, each with its own testing requirements and service frequencies under AS 1851. A provider who only services fire extinguishers, for example, cannot manage your building’s full essential services program.
Before engaging a fire protection company, confirm they can service every essential fire safety measure listed on your building’s fire safety schedule, including:
Using multiple providers across different systems increases your administrative burden, creates gaps in documentation, and introduces the risk of one contractor’s work conflicting with another’s. A single accredited provider managing your full program is almost always the better outcome.
Under AS 1851, maintenance records must be kept on site in hard copy after every service visit and retained for a minimum of seven years. These records must be available for inspection by the Fire Commissioner or local council at any time.
A fire protection company that cannot provide clear, detailed service records is not meeting its obligations under AS 1851, regardless of what they claim to have done during the service visit.
Ask any prospective provider how they document their work. Specifically:
Fire Safe ANZ maintains complete AS 1851 logbooks on site at every client building and provides 24/7 digital access to all service records through our client portal, so documentation is always ready for an audit or AFSS lodgement.
Routine maintenance and AFSS lodgement are two separate things, and not every fire protection company does both. Some companies carry out maintenance but do not employ an accredited practitioner to endorse the AFSS, leaving you to find someone else to do the assessment and certification.
For most building owners, having a single provider manage both the maintenance program and the AFSS process is significantly more efficient and reduces the risk of gaps between the two.
When evaluating a provider, confirm they can:
For a full breakdown of what the AFSS process involves, read: How to Lodge an AFSS in NSW: Step-by-Step Guide
Looking for a single provider to manage maintenance, testing, and AFSS lodgement? Fire Safe ANZ handles the full compliance program for buildings across Australia. Get in touch
Fire safety compliance looks different across different building types. A company experienced primarily in retail tenancies may not have the same depth of knowledge when it comes to a multi-storey strata building, a childcare centre, or an industrial warehouse.
Before signing a contract, ask whether the company has experience with buildings similar to yours, including the specific essential services your building has installed. A provider who has maintained similar buildings will be familiar with the common failure points, the documentation requirements, and the specific AS 1851 intervals that apply.
For more on sector-specific requirements, read:
When a fault is identified during routine testing, it needs to be resolved promptly. An unresolved FIP fault, a failed emergency lighting battery, or a non-compliant fire door left unaddressed between visits is a compliance gap that grows more serious over time.
Ask prospective providers how they handle defects identified during servicing. Specifically:
A provider who identifies defects but does not follow through to resolution is leaving you exposed.
When evaluating fire protection companies, be cautious of any provider who:
The cheapest option in fire protection is rarely the best option. A provider who cannot demonstrate their qualifications and documentation practices is a liability, not a solution.
Fire Safe ANZ is a nationally operating fire protection company providing comprehensive essential services maintenance, FIP testing, AFSS preparation and lodgement support, evacuation diagrams, and fire warden training for commercial buildings across NSW, Queensland, Victoria, Western Australia, and beyond.
Our technicians are experienced across all essential service types and all building classifications. Every service visit is documented in an AS 1851 compliant logbook left on site, with full digital records accessible through our 24/7 client portal. Our accredited practitioners are registered on the FPAA scheme and can endorse AFSS statements for the full range of essential fire safety measures.
Choose a fire protection company you can rely on. Call 1300 553 566 or request a quote online
