We have responsibility for the supervision and enforcement of fire safety legislation in Surrey.

Through our risk based inspection programme we visit a number of premises every year. If your premises is selected for a visit you will be required to have a suitable and sufficient fire risk assessment and emergency plan. There should also be a time specific action plan, based on the significant findings of your fire risk assessment, to reduce those risks. If you have not completed a fire risk assessment, you have committed an offence under the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 and we may take enforcement action.

If you have made your assessment but we think you need to take further precautions, we will discuss these with you and highlight the general areas of concern. It is, however, the employer's duty to identify and take appropriate measures to comply with the regulations.

We have powers under the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 that can be used in serious cases: these include the ability to prohibit, with immediate effect, the use of all or part of your premises or a process being carried out there.

We also have the power to serve an 'Enforcement notice', requiring you to take steps to comply with the order. Failure to comply with the order or any notice served under it, in a way that places the people likely to be there at risk of death or serious injury in case of fire, is in itself a criminal offence. Where this may be the case the Fire and Rescue Service will undertake a full investigation to determine the facts of the alleged breach and, where necessary, seek to prosecute in the Courts. This may result in either a fine and or imprisonment.

In addition to our risk-based routine inspection programme, we may also visit premises as a result of a received complaint, as a result of a fire or from information that has been received from another enforcing authority.