FPAS is now mandatory in NSW
The Fire Protection Accreditation Scheme (FPAS) has now been formally approved under section 59 of the Building and Development Certifiers Act 2018.
On 1 July, 2020, Fire Protection Association Australia (FPA Australia) received a letter from the Secretary of the Department of Customer Service, Ms Emma Hogan, advising that the approval had been given for the Fire Protection Association Australia to exercise the functions as an accreditation authority with respect to the accreditation of persons for purposes of the Act.
Therefore, as of 1 July, 2020, practitioners must be accredited under FPAS if they wish to perform certain ' regulated work' under the Environmental Planning and Assessment Regulation 2000 (EP&A Reg).
FPAS has been recognised for:
- Fire Systems Design (FSD) - for practitioners who endorse plans and specifications in accordance with clauses 136AA and 146B of the EP&A Reg; and
- Fire Safety Assessment (FSA) - for those who endorse essential fire safety measures on annual or supplementary fire safety statements under Part 9, Divisions 5 and 7 of the EP&A Reg.
To perform these roles, practitioners will need to hold an FPAS accreditation number
The only exceptions will be for designers who hold C8 (engineer - electrical) or a C14 (certifier - hydraulic (building)) registration with the Department of Customer Service.
Accreditation for other areas, such as approving performance solutions, applying for clause 164B exemptions, or designing mechanical fire safety systems, have not been recognised at this time.
The Department of Customer Service has written a further letter to FPAA to confirm this appointment, given some confusion around the interpretation of Clause 65 of the Building and Development Certifiers Regulation 2020 (BADC Regulation).
In this correspondence, the Department confirmed that the Secretary must approve owners or certifiers who wish to use non-accredited people if satisfied that there are no accredited persons reasonably available.
The Secretary's recognition of FPAS will be published in the NSW Government Gazette during July 2020, which is the first time an industry association has been recognised in this way. This page will be updated when that occurs.
FPAA reports that as at 12 July, 2020, there are:
- 625 practitioners accredited for Fire Safety Assessment to perform fire safety assessment work; and
- 131 practitioners accredited for Fire Systems Design.
More information
For information about the recognition of FPAS or the application process, contact FPAA:
T: 03 8892 3131