Occupations and Terms of Reference › Fire safety officer
Universal terms of reference · POS-034 · version 1.0 · status: draft · next review 2027-10-27
Fire safety officer
To keep buildings and people safe from fire, so that fire risks are controlled, alarms and escape routes work, and staff know what to do.
Each part of this page links to the related trainings, competencies and policies. The links are the same for every facility, so an organisation can see at a glance what a role requires and what it is trained in.
Job description
Job summary. You keep buildings safe from fire. You run fire risk assessments, check alarms and escape routes, plan drills, and make sure staff are trained to respond.
Reports to: Facilities manager.
Leads or supervises: No direct reports.
What you do on a typical day
- Check alarms, extinguishers and escape routes.
- Carry out fire risk assessments.
- Plan and run fire drills.
- Investigate fire alarms and near misses.
- Report fire safety status to the facilities manager.
Working conditions and demands
- Works across all buildings.
- Must work quickly in alarms and drills.
- Fire regulations apply strictly.
What good looks like
- Fire systems are tested on schedule.
- Drills are held and reviewed.
- Escape routes are clear.
Place in the organogram
Reporting line, from the top: see the organogram on the Occupations page. The lines above and below this role are listed in section 3.
1. Golden rules
These rules apply in every setting.
- Every decision that affects patient safety is made on evidence and recorded.
- Quality means the patient's experience as well as the clinical result; both are measured.
- Problems are reported early and without blame, and learned from.
- Standards are followed the same way on every shift and at every site.
- Every staff member can raise a concern without fear of reprisal.
- Improvement work is planned, measured and kept going until it is embedded.
- Data is used to improve care, and is protected while it is used.
- Where a standard cannot be met, the gap is recorded and escalated the same day.
2. Identification
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Position code | POS-034 |
| ISCO-08 | 3119 (skill level 4) |
| ESCO | to map |
| Department | Quality and safety |
| Facility types | Hospital, Ambulatory, Transport, Medevac, Fitness, Aesthetic |
3. Reporting line and working relationships
Reports to: POS-178. Supervises: .
| Works with | Nature of the relationship |
|---|---|
| Facilities manager | Building fire systems and maintenance. |
| Risk manager | Fire risk entries. |
| Emergency and major incident lead | Fire drills and response. |
4. Key accountabilities
| Domain | Accountability | Evidence of delivery | Checked | Linked competencies | Linked trainings | Linked policies | Standards |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fire systems | Checks alarms, extinguishers and escape routes on schedule. | Checks recorded on schedule | Monthly | C-01 | T-07 | – | 2 |
| Drills | Plans and runs fire drills and reviews them. | Drill held each period; review recorded | Quarterly | C-02 | T-07 | – | 2 |
| Risk assessment | Keeps fire risk assessments current. | Assessments current for each building | Annually | C-03 | T-07 | – | 2 |
| Incidents | Investigates fire alarms and near misses. | Investigations recorded | Monthly | C-01 | T-07 | POL-INC | 2 |
5. Decision rights
| The post holder decides | Consults or escalates |
|---|---|
| Fire drill scenarios within the plan | Fire safety breaches that need building closure (facilities manager and CEO) |
| Immediate fire safety actions | Fire systems that need replacement or major work (facilities manager and CEO) |
6. Qualifications and experience
| ID | Qualification | Mandatory | Validity |
|---|---|---|---|
| Q-01 | Fire safety certificate (national or recognised) | Yes | Lifetime |
| Q-02 | Fire risk assessment qualification | No | Lifetime |
| ID | Experience | Minimum years | Mandatory |
|---|---|---|---|
| E-01 | Fire safety or building safety experience | 3 | Yes |
7. Training requirements
Recommended common practice. Each facility adapts the list to its national law. Essential items apply in every setting; recommended items apply where resources allow.
| ID | Training | Tier | When | Validity | Linked policies | Linked competencies |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| T-01 | Facility induction | essential | at_entry | Once | POL-WHISTLE · POL-EQUAL · POL-DATA | – |
| T-02 | Safeguarding adults | essential | periodic | Every 3 year(s) | POL-SAFEG | – |
| T-03 | Safeguarding children | essential | periodic | Every 3 year(s) | POL-SAFEG | – |
| T-04 | Data protection and confidentiality | essential | annual | Every 1 year(s) | POL-DATA | – |
| T-05 | Incident reporting and open disclosure | essential | periodic | Every 2 year(s) | POL-INC | – |
| T-06 | Governance, accountability and assurance | recommended | periodic | Every 3 year(s) | – | – |
| T-07 | Emergency and major incident command | essential | annual | Every 1 year(s) | POL-INC | C-01 · C-02 · C-03 |
| T-08 | Speaking up, inclusion and equality leadership | essential | periodic | Every 2 year(s) | POL-WHISTLE · POL-EQUAL | – |
8. Health, fitness and language
| ID | Requirement | Frequency | Tier | Minimum in low-resource settings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| H-03 | Fitness-to-work assessment at entry and after serious illness or injury | Every 12 months | recommended | Fitness check at entry |
| Language | Level | Mandatory |
|---|---|---|
| Official language of the country of practice | professional | Yes |
| English | working | Yes |
9. Competencies by level
| ID | Competency | Foundation | Practitioner | Expert | Assessed by | Revalidate | Linked trainings |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| C-01 | Fire safety systems and rules | Knows fire rules | Checks fire systems | Designs fire safety across sites | Fire audit | Every 12 months | T-07 |
| C-02 | Fire drills and evacuation | Takes part in drills | Runs drills | Designs drill programmes | Drill review | Every 12 months | T-07 |
| C-03 | Fire risk assessment | Identifies fire risks | Carries out assessments | Reviews assessments across sites | Assessment review | Every 12 months | T-07 |
10. Performance evaluation
- Probation: 6 months, with a sign-off review (recommended value).
- Appraisal: every 12 months against the competencies and indicators below.
| ID | Indicator | Target | Data source | Frequency |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| PI-01 | Fire systems checks on schedule | 100% | check log | Monthly |
| PI-02 | Drills held and reviewed | 100% | drill record | Quarterly |
| PI-03 | Fire risk assessments current | 100% | assessment register | Annually |
| PI-04 | Escape routes clear at inspection | 100% | inspection log | Monthly |
11. Career ladder and promotion
| Level | Role | Minimum experience to move on | Qualifications | Competency minimums | Trainings required | Assessment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Executive | Fire safety officer | 3 years (recommended) | Q-01 | C-01 practitioner, C-02 practitioner | T-07 | Executive appointment and performance review |
12. Policies the post holder follows
Each policy is a standard template that the facility adopts and adapts. Templates are maintained centrally, so every facility works from the same version.
POL-SAFEG · Safeguarding adults and children
Purpose: Protect patients from abuse, neglect and harm, and make sure every concern is recognised and acted on.
Scope: All staff, volunteers and contractors.
Key rules:
Scope: All staff, volunteers and contractors.
Key rules:
- Recognise signs of abuse and neglect and record them factually.
- Report every concern to the designated safeguarding lead the same shift.
- Do not investigate alone.
- Share information only as the safeguarding procedure allows.
POL-DATA · Data protection and confidentiality
Purpose: Keep patient and staff information private, secure and used only for care and legal purposes.
Scope: All staff who access records or systems.
Key rules:
Scope: All staff who access records or systems.
Key rules:
- Access only the records needed for your work.
- Keep records secure; do not leave screens or paper unattended.
- Do not share information without a lawful basis.
- Report any breach to the data protection officer within 24 hours.
Linked trainings: T-10 · Review every 12 months · Template 0.1 (draft)
POL-WHISTLE · Speaking up (whistleblowing)
Purpose: Let staff raise patient safety or conduct concerns without fear of reprisal.
Scope: All staff.
Key rules:
Scope: All staff.
Key rules:
- Raise a concern with your line manager or the named speaking-up officer.
- If that route fails, escalate to the board or the national regulator.
- Retaliation against anyone who speaks up is a disciplinary offence.
- Concerns are recorded, investigated and the outcome given to the person raising them.
Linked trainings: T-01 · Review every 12 months · Template 0.1 (draft)
POL-EQUAL · Equality, diversity and inclusion
Purpose: Give every patient and colleague fair access, respectful treatment and reasonable adjustments.
Scope: All staff and patients.
Key rules:
Scope: All staff and patients.
Key rules:
- Treat every person with dignity regardless of background.
- Make reasonable adjustments, including interpreters, for language and disability.
- Report discrimination through the speaking-up route.
- Monitor access and outcomes by group.
Linked trainings: T-01 · Review every 24 months · Template 0.1 (draft)
POL-INC · Incident reporting and open disclosure
Purpose: Report and learn from incidents and near misses, and tell patients honestly when things go wrong.
Scope: All staff.
Key rules:
Scope: All staff.
Key rules:
- Report every incident and near miss the same shift.
- Give the patient and family an honest account and an apology where appropriate (open disclosure).
- Take immediate action to protect others.
- Learn: contribute to the review and follow the agreed actions.
13. Standards that name this role
14. Record history
| Date | Change | Approved by |
|---|---|---|
| 2026-10-27 | Draft record, batch 1 of the position build | Awaiting approval |