What Happens When the Fire Service Visits and You Don't Have a Fire Risk Assessment

We get a version of the same phone call fairly regularly: "The fire service came round, and now I've got two weeks to sort something out or they're threatening to shut us down."

By the time that call happens, the business is already in a much harder position than if the assessment had been done properly beforehand. Here's what that process actually looks like, so you know exactly what's coming if it hasn't happened to you yet.

Fire services can inspect any commercial premises

Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (and equivalent bodies in England and Wales) have the legal power to inspect commercial premises to check compliance with fire safety law. These inspections can be routine, triggered by a complaint, or prompted by an incident elsewhere in your sector.

They will ask to see your Fire Risk Assessment. If you don't have one — or what you have is clearly inadequate — that's the point things start moving quickly.

The enforcement ladder

Enforcement typically escalates in stages:

1. Informal advice or an Alterations Notice

The lightest response — you'll be told what needs fixing and given a timeframe.

2. Enforcement Notice

A formal legal notice requiring specific improvements within a set period. Non-compliance is a criminal offence.

3. Prohibition Notice

Used where the risk to life is judged serious enough that the premises (or part of it) cannot be used until the issues are resolved. This is the "shut down" scenario business owners fear — and it's not a threat, it's a legal power the fire service can and does use.

4. Prosecution

In serious cases, particularly where there's been a fire, injury, or a clear and long-standing failure to comply, individuals and companies can be prosecuted. Directors can be held personally liable, not just the company.

Why "we've never had a problem before" doesn't help you

Fire risk assessment isn't about whether something has gone wrong yet. It's about whether you can demonstrate, on paper, that you identified the risks and took reasonable steps to manage them. An inspector isn't interested in your track record — they're interested in whether the paperwork and the physical premises match what the law requires, today.

What to do if you get a visit with nothing in place

• Don't panic, but don't ignore it either — timeframes given by inspectors are real deadlines
• Get a proper assessment booked immediately, not the cheapest one you can find in a hurry
• Address any obvious physical issues (blocked exits, missing signage, faulty extinguishers) as a priority alongside the paperwork
• Keep records of everything you do from this point — it demonstrates you're taking it seriously

The better option: don't wait for the visit

Every one of the stages above is avoidable with a proper assessment in place before anyone from the fire service ever needs to knock on your door.

Fire Check Scotland can get your Fire Risk Assessment sorted properly, before it becomes a deadline. Get in touch to arrange yours.