Condominium fire safety systems: duties and maintenance

A condominium fire safety system is a topic the administrator cannot overlook, because it affects people's safety and the administrator's own liability. Extinguishers, hydrants, hose reels and alarm systems are not enough just to install: they must be kept in working order over time, checked regularly and documented. The reference rules have changed in recent years and have made the duties stricter, varying them according to the features of the building.

What the decree of 25 January 2019 provides

The Italian ministerial decree of 25 January 2019 addressed fire safety in residential buildings, amending and supplementing the long-standing decree of 16 May 1987, no. 246. The decree introduces a graduated approach: the duties grow with the fire-safety height of the building, that is the distance between the highest usable floor and the reference level for rescue vehicles. For lower buildings a principle of good risk management applies above all, while for taller ones the requirements increase.

When extinguishers and systems become mandatory

The duty to install fire safety equipment does not depend on the height of the building alone. It typically arises where there are technical rooms such as boiler rooms, fuel storage areas, closed or underground garages, and where employees work in the condominium. The lift machine rooms may also fall among the situations to be covered, if the risk assessment shows the need.

Periodic maintenance of the equipment

Installing the equipment is only the first step: the law requires that it be regularly checked and kept efficient. Maintenance must be entrusted to specialised, qualified firms, at the intervals set by the technical standards, because an empty extinguisher or a hydrant that does not work in a fire is the same as having none.

Extinguishers: the UNI 9994-1 standard

The maintenance of extinguishers refers to the UNI 9994-1 standard, which sets out the stages of inspection, overhaul and testing at precise intervals. Every operation must be recorded and the extinguisher shows the outcome of the checks, so that at any moment it can be demonstrated that the equipment is efficient.

Hydrants and hose reels: the UNI EN 671-3 standard

Hose reels and wall hydrants follow the UNI EN 671-3 standard, which governs the periodic checks of operation, tightness and pressure. Here too the regularity of the checks is what sets a reliable system apart from one that is only formally present.

The fire safety control register

The administrator must set up and keep updated a fire safety control register, where all checks, maintenance operations and any anomalies found are recorded. The register is the documentary proof that safety has been managed with diligence and is the first document requested in the event of an inspection or a dispute.

A fire safety system without an up-to-date control register is hard to defend: without a trace of the checks, diligence cannot be proven.

The administrator's liability

Fire safety falls on the administrator, who must arrange for the necessary equipment to be installed, schedule its maintenance and keep the documentation. Neglecting these duties creates liability in the event of an incident, besides putting people at risk. It is therefore a matter to be managed methodically, not postponed.

Who pays the fire safety costs

The costs of installing and maintaining equipment that serves the whole building are normally split among all owners by the millesimal tables, since it is a matter of common safety. The case of equipment serving specific parts, such as a garage, is different and follows the criteria of the costs relating to those parts. The split should be resolved at the meeting together with the maintenance plan.

The risk assessment as a starting point

Even before choosing which equipment to install, it is best to start from a risk assessment of the building, taking account of the fire-safety height, the presence of garages and technical rooms, the escape routes and the exit paths. It is this analysis that shows what is really needed and how often to maintain it, avoiding both underestimating dangerous situations and burdening the condominium with unnecessary costs.

The assessment is not a document to be done once and forgotten: it must be updated when the building's conditions change, for example after extraordinary works, the conversion of a room or the installation of a new system. Keeping the risk assessment, the installed equipment and the control register aligned is what makes safety management coherent and defensible over time.

Fire safety management with management software

With management software the inspection deadlines for extinguishers and hydrants are set once and generate automatic reminders, while the operations and documents stay stored and linked to the building. The control register is kept updated without scattered sheets, and the split of fire safety costs is applied on the tables already in use.

AmministraPro keeps track of deadlines, maintenance and system documents for the building, including the fire safety system, and splits the related costs on the millesimal tables. You can see how it works on the features page or compare the plans in the pricing section.