Fire Services

Safety regulations stipulate where Fire Protection Equipment needs to be located in a building.

Each state has different legislation and requirements FCF understand and monitors changing standards to ensure your compliance.

Detection of a potential fire in the early stages of the combustion process allows an early evacuation of personal and an opportunity to save the building from a catastrophic outcome.

FCF design, install and maintain fire detection systems of all types that are best suited to your application.

• Conventional or Addressable Detection Systems in all brands
• Aspirated Smoke Detection Systems
• High Sensitivity Air Sampling Systems
• Beam Detection Systems

Once a system is placed into commission, various elements can affect the operation of the system. FCF not only perform all required testing to the manufacture's specifications and Australian Standards but also ensure that minimum disturbance from false alarms is a key focus. Choosing the right provider for your system is also key to the operating of Fire Detection System.

Additional to the Fire Detection System is the Occupant Warning System. With multiple functions, having a functional and operating system is key to personnel early warning, evacuation and for fire wardens to communicate via the Red Warden Phones.

FCF tests and maintains all types of warning systems to ensure they are in key operating condition.

Inspecting and testing Smoke Alarms and ensuring compliance of your home, rental and business, is a legal requirement. FCF ensures that each time we attend site our technicians follow the Australian Standards and inspect for:

• Battery Date
• Decibel Levels are in range
• Cleaning of each smoke alarm
• Simulated Smoke Test
• Replacement of failed or Faulty Alarms
• Detailed asset list including, tenant and technician signatures, location and type.

FCF clients also enjoy access to a portal that allows live data to be shared about your sites and history of the assets.

Smoke Alarms are proven life savers. They should be installed in places of commercial accommodation. It's essential and in many cases, a legal obligation for businesses to ensure their Smoke Alarms are working periodically.

Don't be caught out with legislation changes; QLD is leading the way in home safety. 2022 is the deadline for rental properties to meet the requirements of the changes. This will further impact the home owner market by 2027, who will also be required to meet the legislation. Advances in technology can see wireless systems used to interconnect and save the home owner money in electrical wiring.

Contact FCF today to find out your requirements and the available advancements in Smoke Alarms.

Portable Fire Extinguishers must be installed in all workplaces regardless of whether other fire protection measures are present. As an early response to a small fire, the successful performance of a Fire Extinguisher depends on appropriate placement, proper maintenance, and trained users (FCF Offers in-house or online training).

There are 6 main different types of Fire Extinguishers that can be installed in your business. We know the right type for your business as well as the quantity and location these extinguishers need to be placed. We also know the correct signage to display according to the Australian Standards. When it comes to fire safety, your business can't afford to get it wrong. Protect your staff and customers and ensure you are 100% Fire Safety Compliant.

There are different types of extinguishers; each designed to extinguish a specific class of fire. They are selected according to the potential fire hazard, the construction and occupancy of the building, and the asset to be protected. It is important to have the right type of extinguisher to fight the fire risk. Many premises have been installed with Water or Class A extinguishers. As the use of electronics has dramatically increased the risk of electrocution has also increased. Just because a Fire Extinguisher was in place originally, doesn't mean that it is suitable for your business now.

Consult an FCF Technician today.

• Evacuation routes must be clear of obstructions and final exits should be clear of obstructions for at least two meters. All final exits adjoined to other properties must be clear as well.
• All doors along the escape route must include proper hardware and be unlocked and unobstructed.
• All doors must be undamaged and current maintenance records for fire doors must be produced upon request.
• Fire and smoke walls must be free from unprotected penetration.
• Evacuation signs and diagrams must contain all required information and must be securely fastened and oriented.

• The business cannot exceed the number of occupants permitted at any times and must be calculated appropriately based on the type of building.
• Any occupancy notices that are issued must be complied with immediately and the business must ensure every staff member is aware of the occupancy number.

• Exit Signs and Emergency Lighting must be undamaged and current maintenance records must be kept and produced upon request.
• All Fire Extinguishers must be correctly maintained, and current maintenance records must be provided upon request.
• All Fire Hose Reels must be properly maintained, with maintenance records kept and able to be provided upon request.
• The Fire Detection and Alarm System must be operating properly with no faults being indicated and must be kept maintained and have proper maintenance records.
• The number of unwanted alarm activations must be below the average.
• The Evacuation System must be in auto mode with no zones in fault and must be properly maintained with records.
• The Sprinkler Booster installation must be undamaged and maintained with records that can be produced upon request.
• The on-site Fire Hydrant Booster must be undamaged, and all on-site Fire Hydrants must be undamaged with maintenance records properly kept.
• Current maintenance records must be provided upon request for Stairwell Pressurization, Smoke and Heat Ventilation Systems, Standby Power Supply, and Emergency Lifts.
• If any Critical Defect Notice has been received, it must be rectified within one month and interim measures have to be put in place for the safety of occupants.

• There must be a Fire and Evacuation Plan in place that is kept in the specified form.
• Fire and Evacuation plans must reflect alternative building solutions and must include procedures to help evacuate anyone with special needs.
• The plans must be kept current, reviewed annually, and available upon request.
• General evacuation instructions must be given to workers within two days of hire and then annually. Records for these must be available upon request.
• First Response Evacuation instructions must be given within one month of hire and then once every two years. Records for these must also be available upon request.
• Evacuation Coordination instructions must be given and records for the instructions must be available.
• Evacuation Practice must be conducted annually, and a Fire Safety Advisor must be appointed if there are more than 30 employees.

• Current Fire Safety Management Plans must be prepared and implemented.
• A copy of these plans must be kept in the building and be able to be accessed by anyone, without charge, when the business is open.
• These are some of the most important tasks a business owner should be aware of to ensure their building and the occupants is fire safe. Be sure to follow all of these to ensure your building is properly prepared and follows the law for fire safety. Any questions should be directed to a professional to ensure an accurate and legally sound answer.

If you need help to ensure you're Fire Safe in Australia, contact us today.

Fire Diagrams are sometimes confused with Fire Plans. The best way to tell the difference is that a Fire Diagram is the picture on the wall that shows the exit path and assembly point.

FCF have in house personnel that do the design and layout of your Fire Diagrams with the help of our field staff. Using the latest graphics software enables the layouts to be designed with minimal cost.

To ensure your Fire Diagram is correct, each time the building design and layout changes the diagram needs to be updated. Best practice is to ensure that the review period for diagrams is annual.

Have an FCF Team Member check your diagram.

Wheeled Portable Fire Extinguishers can be easily operated by one person and are differentiated from "hand portable" types often simply on the basis of their capacity or total weight. Wheeled units are available in a variety of sizes and extinguishing agents with capacities that range. Wheeled Fire Extinguishers are chosen for the higher capacity (volume), higher flow rates, extended firefighting range and extended discharge time.

For servicing or new units please contact FCF

Fire Hose Reels provide a reasonably accessible and controlled supply of water to combat a potential Class A fire risk. Fire Hose Reels should be installed close to an emergency exit and can be used depending on location to exit a building by following the hose back to the reel in the case of overwhelming smoke or visibility decreasing.

Various types of Fire Hose Reels are available to meet specific needs. With a standard fully extended length of 36 metres, Fire Hose Reels are designed to deliver a minimum of 0.33 litres of water per second. A four meter stream should be reached from the nozzle with the flow requirements being met.

Fire Hose Reels are required to be maintained with a service six monthly and annually. A fire Hose Reel can be installed either indoors or outdoors and is used to carry fire retardants (such as water or foam) in high pressure to extinguish a fire.

For servicing or new units please contact FCF

Normally located where Class F fire risks are found (kitchen, oils or fats area). A Fire Blanket cuts off a fire's supply of oxygen, smothering it either permanently or until more effective fire-fighting equipment can be employed.

Instructions on how to safely use a Fire Blanket is available via our Online First Response Training. Always read the instructions on the cover of your Fire Blanket before use.

Note: Fire Blankets are not designed for re-use! It is essential that you dispose of your Fire Blanket once it has been used and contact your service provider to supply and certify a replacement.

Fire Blankets are tested every six months and only requiring a level one stamp on the date tag as per Australian Standard 1851.

For servicing or new units please contact FCF

Located in many buildings the traditional EXIT sign has been replaced with the running man style. AS2293 is the Australian Standard that electricians and fire technicians follow in testing the different types of lighting systems available. Some of these systems are:

• Standalone  these luminaries are controlled and powered by batteries stored within the fitting.
• Central Power  these luminaries are powered from a battery bank stored locally on the premises Not a common system due to battery storage and costs.
• Monitored these luminaries are powered by batteries stored within the fitting, however controlled and monitored via management portal. Various systems are available and with WIFI becoming common place the technology is always advancing.

Emergency Exit Signs are installed to guide personnel and fire brigade out of a building. Australian Standards determine where Emergency Lights should be placed within a building. We know where and how many Emergency Exit Lights need to be installed in your building. These lights also need to be serviced and maintained periodically.

FCF became concerned with Emergency and Exit Lighting failure rates in 2012 as manufacturers competed with offshore built lights and the lower cost to market entry. For a client the lower prices seem reasonable, however the life span of the lights significantly decreased. Which in turn meant buying more lights.

Exclusive 5 Year Warranty - After doing a lot of industry research, FCF partnered with a suitable supplier that didn't alter their products just to simply suit a more competitive market. With the customer's interests in mind from both a manufacturer and installer viewpoint, the 5 Year Exclusive Warranty was developed to ensure FCF clients got more value for money from their Emergency and Exit Lighting systems. This means that only FCF Clients can have confidence that approved Emergency Exit Lights supplied by FCF are longer lasting and backing this claim by offering a 5 Year Warranty instead of the usual industry standard of 2 years.

We are a service company engaged to deliver the best products for our clients.

Call today for a quote and let's calculate the difference together.

The Building Code of Australia stipulates the requirements for personnel to exit a building. After normal operating of business, at times exit paths can become blocked or items placed in the egress path that could cause injury.

FCF perform egress checks alongside regular testing of assets to minimize the labour costs of inspecting egress paths.

See today how FCF can further assist your business

From construction to test and inspect, FCF ensures your sites compliance. Having certifiers means that quality technicians/carpenters are giving the right advice for your building.

Call FCF for your Fire Penetration needs

Inspection, Test and Maintenance

The inspection, testing and maintenance of Fire Water Storage Tanks is critical to fire safety, consistent with AS2304-2011 and AS1851-2012. These water tanks provide the essential stored water for Fire Pumps and Suppression Systems.

Our services are based around the latest technologies to be cost-effective, whilst minimising water supply disruptions. This includes:

• Internal inspection of all tank components with ROV, ensuring easy and safe access while tank remains in service
• Option for a diver is available with extra rudiments needed to ensure safety
• External inspection of water tank components

Other maintenance can be performed if the site doesn't have available maintenance staff to fix surface rust or built up soil against a fire tank.

Tank cleaning and repairs are also performed with tank specialists in the industry.

We provide an asset report and video with any recommended repairs.

Call FCF for your Water Storage Tank needs

Fires are no joke. They can virtually happen at any time and the damage to life and property in the instance that they occur, and we are not sufficiently prepared, can be absolutely devastating. As such, it is imperative that you have all the standard safety and security tools and features in place at your place of business. Doing so protects you the business owner, your employees, and your bottom-line. Such safety and security features include having both working Fire Extinguishers that are up to code (as outlined in the Australian Standard AS1851) and working Fire Sprinkler Systems that are up to code (as outlined in Australian Standards AS2118) in place.

Below, we take a closer look at Fire Sprinkler Systems, how they can affect your business, and what the AS2118 code requires.

A Fire Sprinkler System is a Fire Suppression System, common in industrial and commercial buildings, and installed to suppress and combat fires with water.

A Fire Sprinkler System works by being automatically activated if, and when, there is an increase in temperature. This is done through a temperature gauge that is constantly working to monitor average temperatures. Whenever the temperature increases, the Sprinklers are activated, and water is released. The water, as it is released from the Sprinklers, drowns out the surrounding fires.

The Fire Sprinkler Systems are effective due in large part to their simple design. The Sprinkler System's water attachment is attached to a water pump and piping system. The Sprinkler's piping system is installed into the ceiling of the building (the part between the ceiling and roof that is invisible to the naked eye while standing in the room) and the water-spraying fixture being visible from inside the room.

As stated prior, installing, and maintaining your business' Fire Sprinkler System is of utmost importance. Now that you know what Fire Sprinkler Systems are and how they can affect your business, the next step is having them professionally installed and maintained at your place of business. You can opt to install the most commonly used Fire Sprinkler System option, known as the Wet-Fire-Water System. It is easy to install, with installation taking only a couple of days to weeks under a registered and highly experienced professional. By utilising this option, you can minimise downtime in your business while making your workplace safer for yourself and your employees.

It is just as important to have your Fire Sprinkler Systems properly maintained as it is to have them properly installed. Again, hiring the trained and certified professional for fire equipment maintenance is the way to go.

Call FCF for your Sprinkler needs.

Hydrant and Sprinkler Pump Sets require more than just inspecting and testing. Following AS1851 is every fire company's responsibility. The FCF difference is ensuring that the motor that runs your fire equipment is in peak operating condition. This means keeping the hours down on your system. Did you know that the majority of Hydrant Pump Systems are stand alone and don't inform anyone off-site of their operation? Installing an Australian approved FCF Connect device allows you to know the second that the pump operates. This means that after hours when no personnel are around, they can be notified and switch the pump off saving hours on the pump. Those hours' means no drained diesel tank, fewer hours on the motor, less servicing required.

See why FCF is different today

Fire Hydrants are a critical part of the fire brigade's arsenal to defeat a fire. 6 monthly, annual and 5-year testing is of the utmost importance.

Many sites fall short when testing the five-year inspection. Reasons are council has decreased water supply, service provider missed the inspection or under-tested or trees have grown in front of handles. Why is the five yearly so important? Besides the obvious, water supply, clearance and gaskets changed; the major part is the Hydrostatic Test. This test pushes the pipe above the normal operating use so that in an emergency the fire authority can successfully flow water. During the Hydrostatic Test, pipes can burst and even lift up concrete carparks. Having a suitably experienced company performing this service is of the utmost importance.

Call FCF for your Hydrant needs.