Tasks of a fire safety officer

A fire safety officer is always advisable, but not every company has to have one.
have one. The Occupational Health and Safety Act, the technical rules for workplaces, employers' liability insurance associations, accident insurers and property insurers all require a fire safety officer, depending on the fire hazard. Property insurers, for example, often only grant full insurance cover for companies at risk of fire if the company hires an internal or external fire safety officer.

As a rule of thumb, the following applies: For particularly fire-prone companies and workplaces with a large number of potentially number of potentially endangered persons, the fire safety officer is obligatory. These include, for example, production halls, warehouses, kitchens and workshops. The following workplaces most frequently require fire safety officers:

• Industrial buildings with a floor area of more than 5,000 m².
• Sales premises with a floor area of more than 2,000 m².
• Office and administration buildings with a floor area of more than 3,000 m².
• Special buildings (e.g. high-rise buildings, clinics, hotels, retirement homes)

Precise information on the necessity and number of fire protection officers required is provided by building regulations, state building regulations, fire protection concept, risk assessment and building permit.

External fire safety officers report directly to the company management. They regularly hand over a protocol to the management that documents deficiencies and recommends appropriate measures. However, the management alone decides on their implementation.