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The role of a building fire safety committee Building owner rights The role of a building fire safety committee
Local councils play an important role in protecting the safety of building occupiers and users, whether they are residents and workers who use the buildings regularly, or clients and visitors who use them occasionally.
The local council must appoint a building fire safety committee under the
Development Act 1993 to ensure adequate fire safety in buildings.
The role of a building fire safety committee includes:
- developing appropriate building fire safety inspection policies
- examining the fire safety of buildings that have been identified as having inadequate fire safety provisions
- issuing notices of fire safety defect to building owners, which identify fire safety provisions that need to be upgraded to an extent that provides a reasonable level of safety for occupants
- forwarding information notices to council administration
- where appropriate, negotiating a cost-effective performance solution with a building owner to reduce fire safety risks to an acceptable level
- issuing notices of building work required which set out building work that must be carried out in order to raise the building fire safety to a reasonable level of safety
- initiating enforcement or other action to ensure a building owner complies with a notice of building work required
- revoking or varying fire safety notices where appropriate.
An authorised officer from a council can inspect existing buildings to check if fire safety is adequate. If not, a building fire safety committee, as an appropriate authority under the Development Act 1993, can take action to require the owner to upgrade the fire safety of the building to an appropriate level.
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Building owner rights
A building owner served with a notice of fire safety defect has two months to develop an appropriate upgrading proposal and report to the building fire safety committee on the work or measures proposed to make the fire safety of the building adequate.
A building owner can:
- make representations to the building fire safety committee about the fire safety of the building and the work or other measures that need to be carried out
- apply to the building fire safety committee at any stage to have a fire safety notice varied or revoked
- appeal to the Environment Resources and Development (ERD) Court against the service of a notice under the Development Act 1993.
An owner must comply with a fire safety notice or risk prosecution and/ or enforcement action through the ERD Court.
On completion of any work required by a fire safety notice, the owner must notify the building fire safety committee in writing that the work has been completed.
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More information
Other websites
Local Government Association of South Australia
Environment, Resources and Development Court
Downloads
Guide to council building fire safety committees (PDF 178KB)
For an alternative version of this document contact Building services.
Legislation
Development Act 1993