Is your high-rise ready for the NEW FIRE SAFETY REGULATIONS?
After the Grenfell Tower Inquiry Phase1 report highlighted the lack of on-site information available to London Fire Brigade, the latest Fire Safety (England) Regulations 2022 made it a legal requirement to have a secure information box with up-to-date plans on all existing high-rise residential buildings from 23.01.23.
With the same required for new build flats under The Building Regulations 2010 Approved Document B amendments in June 22 Section 15, which took effect on 01.12.22.
Having developed the original secure Premises Information Box™ (PIB)® and Emergency Response Pack (ERP) with the Fire & Rescue Service (FRS), you can rest assured we have you covered - simply leave your details.
Enquire below to find out about our secure Premises Information Box™ (PIB®) systems and ERP Plan Service
Enquiry - GerdaPIBs
Where are the new fire safety regulations applied?
They make it a requirement for all high-rise residential building to have easily identifiable secure repositories for clear specified documents intended for use by the fire and rescue service during a fire, as per the NFCC FIA Code of Practice types of premises:
- Existing blocks of flats whose top storey floor height is 18m or more, or over six storeys (ground plus five upper storeys), whichever is the lower.
- Existing blocks of flats whose top storey floor height is below 18m or under six storeys which have additional complexity i.e. layout, access, facilities etc.
- Student accommodation designed like a block of flats, e.g. those adopting a stay put approach whose top storey floor height is 11m or more.
- New build blocks of flats whose top storey floor height is 11m or more.
Our Solution
Designed to the exacting specification of the Fire & Rescue Service, by fire fighters for fire fire fighters.
The original Gerda secure Premises Information Box™ (PIB®) and Emergency Response Pack (ERP) have been adopted by organisations nationwide and helped establish the FIA & NFCC Code of Practice.
Our Solution
Designed in partnership with the fire service, our products have the firefighter in mind, to provide essential fire safety and security.
The original Gerda secure Premises Information Box™ (PIB®) and Emergency Response Plans (ERP)™ have been adopted by organisations nationwide and helped establish the FIA & NFCC Code of Practice.
Get started in just three simple steps:
1. Complete your enquiry online
Submit your property details above and we’ll get back to you with details of the PIB and ERP options.
2. Confirm property requirements
Complete the PIB registration form for location & keyholder, then select your ERP service provision.
3. Product delivery or installation
Upon delivery or installation of your PIB, the Fire and Rescue Service (FRS) are notified of the location.
Make sure your building abides by the Code of Practice
What the regulatory bodies have to say
Annual fire related UK insurer
commercial claims (inc.HRRB)
FRS attended fires in high-rise flats in year to June 2021
Split of social/private
(student) sector
FRS using Gerda One Key System® nationwide.
Average FRS response time
to high-rise fires (mins)
High-Rise Residential Buildings
Social Housing
Private Residence
Student Accommodation
11m New Build
Simple & Effective
Installing your secure information box, or PIB, quickly ensures that the FRS have immediate access to on-site plans during a fire.
The new Fire Safety (England) Regulations 2022 ‘seek to improve the fire safety of blocks of flats in ways which are practical, cost effective for individual leaseholders and proportionate to the risk of fire.’
Simple & Effective
Installing your secure information box, or PIB, quickly ensures that the FRS have immediate access to on-site plans during a fire.
The new Fire Safety (England) Regulations 2022 ‘seek to improve the fire safety of blocks of flats in ways which are practical, cost effective for individual leaseholders and proportionate to the risk of fire.’
Secure Premises Information Boxes
HSS PIB C (Cat A)
ERP Plan Service
Gerda One Key System®
Standard PIB (Internal)
Uniting Fire Safety & Security™
Just a handful of our accreditations and memberships that make Gerda No.1 for fire safety and security.
FAQs
Got a query? Browse our most commonly asked PIB questions. Though if there’s anything you want to ask, simply email our team here and we’ll get back to you.
Any existing block of flats whose top story is over 18m, or 6 storeys whichever is the lower (i.e. ground plus 5 alternatively ‘7 or more’), along with 11m or more for student accommodation designed like a block of flats.
Plus, any new build blocks of flats with a top story more than 11m above ground level from 1 December 2022 in England.
Height of top storey measured from upper floor surface of top floor to ground level on lowest side of building. Note height of top storey excludes roof-top plant areas and any top stories consisting exclusively of plant rooms.
Ref: Approved Document B - Diagram D6
The Grenfell Tower Inquiry Phase 1 highlighted the lack of on-site information available to London Fire Brigade and recommended that it be required by law for all high-rise residential buildings. In order to keep this information safe and secure a premises information box should be installed and access given to the FRS.
Yes... we have stock available now, simply get in touch and we'll help ensure you're PIB and ERP are ready.
As a minimum the regulations require the RP to inspect annually and ensure contents are up to date, which Gerda can do as part of a 5-year ERP Plans Service and Maintenance Package. Although your plans will only need renewing if any of the required elements have changed.
Having worked with the FIA/NFCC on the ERP guidelines (as acknowledged in the Code of Practice listed on Gov.uk regulation 6), Gerda provides a complete ERP Plan Service with annual audit & maintenance option for total piece-of-mind.
They’re the same, a Premises Information Box (PIB) is the original Gerda name for a secure facility to store information about a building for use by the fire service during an incident, which is now also know by the generic term secure information box (SIB). PIBs are referred to in the initial Grenfell Tower Inquiry and FIA NFCC Code of Practice (for the provision of Premises Information Boxes in Residential Buildings) with the regulations simply referring to secure information boxes (now termed SIB). With a Gerda PIB you’re installing the SIB originally developed with the fire and rescue service.
The Gov.uk guidance states ‘the responsible person is the person who is responsible for the safety of themselves and others who use a regulated premises. This is normally a building owner, or in residential properties, any other person in control of the premises. The responsible person is the person on whom most of the duties set out in the Fire Safety Order are imposed.’
The person having control of the building, or a degree of control.
Gov.uk Fire Safety (England) Regulations 2022 coming into force on 23 January 2023
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/fire-safety-england-regulations-2022
Gov.uk Regulation 4 for secure premises information boxes as a legal requirement from 23.01.23
Gov.uk Regulation 6 for floor plans and building plan as a legal requirement from 23.01.23
Gov.uk building regulations amendments June 2022 for new build high-rise fire safety from 01.12.22
Gov.uk Fire safety: Approved Document B covering fire safety matters with June 22 amendments
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/fire-safety-approved-document-b
FIA & NFCC Code of Practice for the Provision of Premises Information Boxes in Residential Buildings
Make sure your building abides by the Code of Practice
