A special needs register is a record of all occupants in a building who require assistance to evacuate in an emergency — people with mobility impairments, vision or hearing difficulties, or other conditions that affect how they can exit a building safely. Under Australian fire safety legislation, this register must be kept current and linked to your evacuation plan. An outdated or missing register during an audit or emergency is a compliance failure and a safety risk.

A prescribed person is anyone who enters a building to perform work or reside there — including contractors, cleaners, maintenance staff and short-term workers. Under the Building Fire Safety Regulation 2008 (QLD), building owners and managers are legally required to ensure prescribed persons are provided with evacuation diagrams, safety data sheets (SDS) and other relevant safety information before they enter. Failure to do this creates significant legal liability.

An occupier statement is an annual declaration under Queensland's Building Fire Safety Regulation 2008 confirming that all prescribed fire safety installations in a building have been maintained to the required standard. It replaced the previous Certificate of Maintenance and is required annually for most commercial buildings in Queensland. Failing to lodge the statement on time can result in penalties from local councils.

AS 1851-2012 is the Australian Standard for the routine servicing of fire protection systems and equipment. It sets out how often different fire safety installations must be inspected, tested and maintained — from fire extinguishers and hose reels to fire indicator panels and sprinkler systems. Building owners are responsible for ensuring all prescribed fire safety installations are maintained in accordance with AS 1851 and that records of that maintenance are kept and available for inspection.

The Building Fire Safety Regulation 2008 (BFSR 2008) is Queensland legislation that sets out the fire safety obligations of building owners, occupiers and managers for buildings that are not single dwellings. It covers everything from prescribed fire safety installations and occupier statements to evacuation plans and prescribed person obligations. It is the primary fire compliance legislation that strata managers and commercial building managers in Queensland operate under.

At minimum, every commercial building should have on site or instantly accessible: the current evacuation plan and diagrams, the special needs register, the occupier statement (QLD) or annual fire safety statement (NSW/VIC), maintenance records for all fire safety installations, the building certificate, the FSI list, asbestos register (if applicable), and safety data sheets for any hazardous materials on site. The inability to produce these during an inspection or emergency is one of the most common and costly compliance failures in Australian buildings.

A fire compliance audit typically involves a fire safety inspector or compliance officer reviewing your building's fire safety installations, evacuation plans, maintenance records and occupier statements. They may arrive unannounced or with short notice. They will ask to see current documentation for all prescribed fire safety installations and may inspect physical equipment, egress paths and evacuation signage. If documentation cannot be produced, the building manager is responsible — not the contractor who was supposed to provide it.

A Fire Safety Advisor (FSA) is a person appointed to advise on and manage fire safety obligations within a building or organisation. Under Queensland legislation, some buildings are required to appoint an FSA. Rather than sending staff to expensive, time-limited FSA training courses, buildings can engage an external FSA service that provides continuity — the advisor remains even when internal staff change. Ordit supports FSA workflows within the platform.

Fire safety maintenance is the physical servicing of fire equipment — testing extinguishers, servicing sprinklers, inspecting hose reels. Fire compliance is the broader obligation to document, prove and manage that maintenance has been done, that evacuation plans are current, that prescribed persons have been briefed and that all required records are accessible. Many buildings are well-maintained but non-compliant because the paperwork trail is incomplete or inaccessible. Ordit addresses compliance — your maintenance contractor addresses the physical equipment.

It depends on the document. Evacuation plans should be reviewed whenever occupant details change and at least annually. The special needs register should be updated continuously as Occupiers and Occupants update their profiles. Maintenance records are generated after each service visit — frequency depends on the installation type and AS 1851 requirements. The occupier statement (QLD) is annual. Building certificates depend on the type of certificate. Ordit tracks all of these schedules and sends automated reminders before each deadline.