Fire Safety Register

Educational guidance on registers and logs — what each records, who maintains it, what it typically contains and how long it is generally kept. Informational only — template examples, not official documents or legal advice; a register documents activity, it does not by itself prove compliance, and employers remain responsible.

What a fire safety register is

A fire safety register (sometimes a fire log book) gathers the routine fire-safety activities of a workplace — alarm tests, extinguisher and emergency-lighting checks, drills, training and faults — into a single, dated record.

This page is an educational overview with a simplified example. It is not an official template, not jurisdiction-specific and not legal advice — the employer decides what their register records and how it is kept current.

Purpose

• Keep one dated record of fire-safety checks and activities.
• Show that drills, tests and inspections were carried out.
• Surface faults so they are fixed promptly.
• Support fire risk assessment and emergency planning.

Who maintains it

• A nominated person — often a fire warden or facilities lead — keeps it current.
• Those carrying out checks record their results.
• Reviewed within the employer’s fire-safety process.
• The employer decides who maintains it and what it covers.

When it is used

• Each time a check, test, drill or training session takes place.
• When a fault is found or fixed.
• During fire risk assessment review.
• When demonstrating that routine activities were done.

Typical fields

• Date, activity type (alarm test, drill, extinguisher check, training).
• Location or system checked.
• Result, any fault found and action taken.
• Who carried it out and signed off.
• Next due date where relevant.
• Example columns only — adapt to your premises and the applicable law.

Common mistakes

• Recording checks that were not actually carried out.
• Logging faults but not fixing them.
• Missing scheduled drills or tests.
• Treating the register as a substitute for a fire risk assessment.

Document workflow

A fire safety register supports the fire risk assessment: the assessment sets out what must be checked, the register records that those checks happened, and any fault becomes a corrective action register entry. Drill and training records feed the wider safety picture.

See the related documents below for what is commonly used with and completed after a fire safety register entry.

Retention (high level)

Fire-safety records are generally kept for a period that lets the employer show routine activities were done, in line with its obligations. This page does not state a required period — confirm with the applicable law and the official authority.

Completing and sharing as a PDF

Fire log books are often kept on paper or digitally and exported to PDF for records and inspections. Exporting to PDF supports the record; it does not make it official or prove compliance.

Employer checklist

• Schedule and record drills, tests and inspections.
• Make sure faults are logged and actually fixed.
• Keep the register aligned with the fire risk assessment.
• Record who carried out and signed off each activity.

Worker notes

• Take part in fire drills and follow the evacuation plan.
• Report fire-safety faults you notice.
• Know the alarm, the exits and your assembly point.

Country considerations

Fire-safety duties, required checks and record-keeping vary by country and building type, and the official authority differs. This page is general and high-level — not a statement of any country’s fire-safety law and not legal advice.

Confirm current requirements with the official authority for your country and a qualified professional.

Who is responsible

The employer (or the responsible person for the premises) is responsible for fire safety, the routine checks and for compliance. This page is an educational overview with a template example; it does not make a workplace compliant and does not transfer responsibility.