Fire safety log book template: checks, defects and closure

A fire safety log book records what was checked, when, by whom, what failed and how the problem was resolved. It does not replace the fire risk assessment, emergency plan, maintenance contract or competent inspection. This copyable template is for a named non-domestic premises in Great Britain. The dutyholder must decide which checks apply and their method and frequency from the actual assessment, equipment specification, national law and competent advice.

The Home Office small-premises guide says fire protection measures should be maintained in effective working order and a suitable testing and maintenance record may be a logbook or electronic record. Scottish Government guidance also covers maintenance, testing and fire-safety arrangements. England/Wales and Scotland have different legal regimes. A preprinted frequency chart must not be treated as a universal statutory schedule.

Prepare the register

Identify the building, dutyholder, log owner, current fire risk assessment and emergency plan. List actual assets: detection and alarm, emergency lighting, extinguishers, fire doors, escape routes, suppression or smoke-control equipment if present, and any site-specific measures. Link drawings and service contracts. For a shared building, say who controls common systems and how tenants report defects. Record the source of each technical method and check interval, not just a due date. It may be the assessment, manufacturer instructions, service specification, applicable standard or licence condition. A check performed by site staff and a specialist service are different activities.

A logbook cannot prove the underlying precautions are suitable. A perfectly documented series of alarm tests does not correct an inadequate system design. A fire door on a register is not protective if it fails to close. Keep the log linked to the risk assessment action plan but do not conflate them. The responsible person still needs to read contractor reports and act on limitations and recommendations.

Copyable fire safety log book

Replace each bracket. Add rows as needed. Keep photographs and technical reports by reference. Where an issue affects occupation or escape, record the immediate safety decision and get competent fire-safety advice.

A. Premises and control sheet

B. Asset and check schedule

Mark an item not applicable only with a reason. Do not label a check “legal weekly check” unless a specific rule actually applies to this asset and premises. If equipment is altered or replaced, revise the schedule rather than inheriting its predecessor's interval without review.

C. Routine check or test entry

A bare tick is weak evidence when something was abnormal. Identify the asset and actual observation. For example, a panel fault should have its zone and message recorded, a responsible person notified, and any temporary safety decision documented. A contractor's report with exclusions or recommendations must be read and linked to actions, not simply filed as a “pass”.

D. Defect and interim-measures register

A work order is not closure. Name who decides whether the affected area can stay occupied while a critical precaution is impaired. Temporary measures must be selected for the actual building by competent people; this blank form cannot prescribe them. Record what the contractor repaired and who checked the function afterward. Repeated faults should trigger review of cause and of the fire risk assessment or plan.

E. Training, drill and event log

A drill should produce learning, not just an attendance tick. Record blocked routes, slow recognition, uncertain roles, visitor-accounting gaps and assisted-evacuation problems; fix them and update the plan. Keep sensitive personal information in a restricted record, with a reference here only where necessary.

F. Service and change log

Record whether the report covers the full system or only a sample. If building works change compartmentation, doors, alarm zones, occupancy or the escape plan, trigger review of the assessment, emergency arrangements and check schedule. The Home Office dutyholder guide also discusses sharing relevant fire-safety information with an incoming responsible person.

Worked example: an alarm fault in a small office

A receptionist sees a fault on the alarm panel before opening. The entry records the time, panel and zone, exact display message and photograph. The site controller checks the fire risk with competent advice and decides whether the affected area can be occupied and which interim measures are required. A service contractor attends and reports the fault, repair and any remaining limitation. A competent person verifies return to the required state. The dutyholder signs off the defect and tells affected staff. If the fault recurs, the previous entries make the pattern visible. This illustrates the evidence trail; it is not an instruction to occupy an unsafe building.

Where this logbook stops

It does not establish that an alarm or door meets its design standard, that a contractor's technical report is correct, or that the fire risk assessment is suitable. It does not create a universal legal check interval. It cannot replace a different statutory building-safety record where one applies. Its purpose is continuity: a person taking over the premises can see current assets, checks, open defects and evidence of closure.

The Complys fire risk assessment software page is the named money-page relationship, subject to implementation and whole-page claim verification. Proposed companion routes fire evacuation plan and small-business FRA guide must not be linked as live until integrated. Complys cannot physically inspect, test or certify the building by storing a record.

Source, claim, owner, product, links and writer-side QA

Terminal writer-side disposition: READY.