In 2020 the then Government consulted on its proposals to implement this recommendation in its Fire Safety Consultation and  responded to the consultation in 2021 (link). 

On 18 May 2022, regulations were laid under Article 24 of the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 to implement this recommendation. The Fire Safety (England) Regulations 2022 came into force on 23 January 2023.

Under the Regulations, the responsible person for a high-rise residential building must prepare a plan for each floor of the building. This plan should show, alongside the layout of the relevant floor, the location of all lifts and main fire-fighting equipment for the building. Where the layout for two or more floors are identical, the responsible person can produce a single plan (as long as they clearly indicate the floors to which that plan relates). The responsible person must send these plans electronically to their local fire and rescue service. 

In addition to this plan, the responsible person for a high-rise residential building must, under the Regulations, prepare an additional hard copy single page building plan to show the environs of the building, as well as the location of fire-fighting facilities and information useful to the fire and rescue service.   

Also under the Regulations, the responsible person for a high-rise residential building must install a secure information box in or on the premises. This secure information box should contain hard copies of the building floor plans, the single page building plan and the UK contact details of the responsible person and any other individual the responsible person considers appropriate.   

In addition to this, the then Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DLUHC) (now Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG)) consulted on the proposal to recommend secure information boxes in new blocks of flats through an update to Building Regulation guidance document Approved Document B (ADB). MHCLG announced on 1 June 2022 that it had amended ADB so that secure information boxes will now have to be installed in all new residential buildings over 11 metres.

In 2020 the then Government consulted on its proposals to implement this recommendation in its Fire Safety Consultation and  responded to the consultation in 2021 (link). 

On 18 May 2022, regulations were laid under Article 24 of the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 to implement this recommendation. The Fire Safety (England) Regulations 2022 came into force on 23 January 2023.

Under the Regulations, the responsible person for a high-rise residential building must prepare a plan for each floor of the building. This plan should show, alongside the layout of the relevant floor, the location of all lifts and main fire-fighting equipment for the building. Where the layout for two or more floors are identical, the responsible person can produce a single plan (as long as they clearly indicate the floors to which that plan relates). The responsible person must send these plans electronically to their local fire and rescue service. 

In addition to this plan, the responsible person for a high-rise residential building must, under the Regulations, prepare an additional hard copy single page building plan to show the environs of the building, as well as the location of fire-fighting facilities and information useful to the fire and rescue service.   

Also under the Regulations, the responsible person for a high-rise residential building must install a secure information box in or on the premises. This secure information box should contain hard copies of the building floor plans, the single page building plan and the UK contact details of the responsible person and any other individual the responsible person considers appropriate.   

In addition to this, the then Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DLUHC) (now Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG)) consulted on the proposal to recommend secure information boxes in new blocks of flats through an update to Building Regulation guidance document Approved Document B (ADB). MHCLG announced on 1 June 2022 that it had amended ADB so that secure information boxes will now have to be installed in all new residential buildings over 11 metres.

In October 2023, the National Fire Chiefs Council (NFCC) surveyed all fire and rescue services (with the exception of the LFB) in England about their progress against recommendation 33.12c. Every service reported they are equipped to receive and store electronic plans.

In terms of making these plans on high rise residential buildings (HRRBs) available to control room managers and to personnel on the incident ground, including the incident commanders, as well as ensuring that operational risk information for high-risk HRRBs is accurate, the NFCC has reported that all services have completed this recommendation. 

To fully address this recommendation, the NFCC recommended that operational risk information for high-risk high-rise residential buildings is accurate and contains all the pertinent information.

Due to the number of buildings and other risks in a fire services response area it is challenging to ensure all relevant operational risk information, plans and other information remains accurate. The responsible person for the building must ensure fire risk assessments and all relevant actions including the provision of plans and other information is completed. 

The changes in legislation (for recommendations 33.12a and 33.12b) support fire and rescue services ensuring that appropriate information is available to emergency responders.

The LFB report that recommendation 33.12c is now complete having been incorporated into the Brigade’s ongoing One Risk solution.

The completion of the One Risk project will contribute to the effective storage and dissemination of electronic plans and amalgamate all relevant building related risk information into a single system. The One Risk project is currently in Phase 2 (Procurement), although some workstreams from Phase 1 (Requirements Gathering) require completion.