Commercial fire safety and fire protection for businesses
Chief Fire Safety designs, installs, tests and maintains fire protection for commercial buildings – offices, shops, warehouses, factories, schools, care homes and heritage buildings.
Fire risk assessments, fire alarms, extinguishers, emergency lighting, fire doors and intruder alarms – one team, looked at together, not handled by three contractors who never speak to each other.
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- 20+ years’ experience
- Electrical Installation Certified
- ECS card holders
- JIB
- IPAF
- Constructionline
- Chamber of Commerce member
Our services
Our fire protection services
Each service below has its own page with the detail. Here is what we do and where each one fits.
Fire risk assessments
Identifies hazards, people at risk and the measures needed, with a written record and prioritised actions.
Fire alarm systems
Design, installation, commissioning, servicing, zone plans and monitoring, to BS 5839-1.
Fire extinguishers
The right type for the risks present, supplied, installed and serviced annually to BS 5306-3.
Emergency lighting
Keeps escape routes and exits visible if the mains fails, designed and tested to BS 5266-1.
Fire doors & passive protection
Doors, seals and compartment walls that hold fire and smoke back long enough to escape.
Commercial intruder alarms
Fire and security looked after by the same contractor, specified to suit your insurer’s requirements.
Heritage & listed buildings
Discreet detection and careful upgrades that protect the building without harming its character.
Not sure which of these your building needs? Tell us about your premises and we will point you in the right direction.
How it works
How the measures work together
Fire safety in a commercial building is a connected system. The fire risk assessment sets out what is needed. Detection and alarm give early warning. Emergency lighting and signage guide people out. Fire doors and compartmentation slow the spread of fire and smoke along the escape route. Extinguishers give trained staff a first response.
When one part fails, the others are put under pressure. A fire door wedged open lets smoke into the stairway that the alarm has just told everyone to use. A detector painted over during a refurbishment leaves a room unprotected. This is why we look at a building as a whole, and why we flag problems we notice on site even when they sit outside the job we were called in for. Our fire safety overview explains how each measure relates to the others in more detail.
Your legal duties as the responsible person
In England, the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 places fire safety duties on the “responsible person” for non-domestic premises. That is usually the employer, or the owner or person in control of the building. The responsible person must carry out a suitable and sufficient fire risk assessment, put appropriate fire safety measures in place and keep them maintained.
What the law requires
Since 1 October 2023, changes made by section 156 of the Building Safety Act 2022 require the responsible person for any non-domestic premises to record the fire risk assessment in full, along with the fire safety arrangements, regardless of the number of employees. Where you appoint someone to carry out or review the assessment, their name and organisation must be recorded too.
In practice, a responsible person needs three things from a fire safety contractor: competent work, clear documentation and a maintenance routine that keeps systems in the condition they were installed in. Our certificates, logbook entries and reports are written so you can show an enforcing authority or your insurer what has been done and when. If you are unsure who holds the duty in a shared or multi-let building, our guide on who is responsible for fire safety sets out the common scenarios.
Who we work with
Commercial premises we protect
The same legislation applies to every type of commercial building, but the risks and the right solutions vary a great deal. A warehouse with high racking and forklift charging has little in common with a care home where residents need assistance to evacuate, or a hotel with sleeping guests who do not know the building.
We work across offices, retail units, warehouses and distribution sites, industrial and manufacturing premises, hospitality venues, care homes, schools and healthcare settings. We also support managing agents and landlords who are responsible for common parts across a portfolio of buildings. Visit our industries and premises section to see how we approach each type of building.
Coverage
Areas we cover
Chief Fire Safety is based at Apex House, Edgbaston Road, Birmingham, and works with commercial clients across the West Midlands, Worcestershire, Gloucestershire, Herefordshire and beyond.
For businesses with sites spread across several of these areas, one contractor covering all of them makes it much easier to keep servicing dates, certificates and records consistent. See all of our service locations.
Every kind of premises
From offices to industrial units, we design fire protection around the building
A steel-framed warehouse with high racking needs a very different answer to a Georgian office or a busy retail unit. We work out what your building actually needs, not what’s easiest to install.
Our process
What working with us involves
1. Conversation
We talk through the building, how it is used and what is already in place.
2. Survey & quote
We visit site, survey what’s needed, and send a written quote explaining what we propose and why.
3. Install & handover
Once complete, you get certificates, test records and drawings, plus a maintenance schedule if you want one.
We are straightforward about what a building does and does not need. If an existing system can be repaired or extended rather than replaced, we will tell you. You can see examples of the work we carry out on our case studies page.
Not sure what your building needs?
Tell us about your premises and we will point you in the right direction. Free, no obligation.
What customers say
Straightforward, tidy work from people who turn up when they say they will.
★★★★★
“Brilliant, professional service from Chris.”
Kathryn★★★★★
“Chris was efficient, tidy, helpful and friendly… wouldn’t hesitate to use again.”
Sarah W.★★★★★
“Very professional and sorted the issue promptly.”
Sarah B.- 20+years’ experience
- 8cities & counties covered
- 9fire & security services
- 1dayto reply to every enquiry
Speak to Chief Fire Safety
If you are fitting out a new unit, working through the actions from a fire risk assessment, or simply looking for a new maintenance contractor, start with our contact form. Give us a few details about the premises and what you need, and we will get back to you to arrange the next step.