Produce a Fire Strategy
This page covers the step-by-step workflow for producing a Fire Strategy in the RiskBase app. For background on what a Fire Strategy is, see What is a Fire Strategy. For the RiskBase-specific approach — the data-first philosophy, the section framework, the benchmark library — see The RiskBase Fire Strategy.
Prerequisites
Sign in to the RiskBase app.
The property exists in RiskBase with key metadata set: build completion date, height, and building type / use.
Existing survey and asset data is captured wherever possible.
The signed-in user has appropriate permissions to create and approve a Fire Strategy.
Start an Assessment
From the "Downloaded Properties" page, tap on a property to open its property page.
Tap Fire Summary.
Tap Create Fire Strategy.
Select an appropriate template from the list.
The assessment opens, displaying the strategy's section navigation.
Figure 1: [the property page with the Fire Summary tab highlighted, leading into the Create Fire Strategy button].
Stage 1: What Should Be There
Inside the assessment, tap on Fire Strategy and complete the following:
Select the Purpose Group (e.g. residential, assembly and recreation).
Select the Building Height band.
Select the appropriate edition or amendment of Approved Document B.
Where relevant, add BS 9991, BS 9999, or CP3 instead of, or alongside, ADB.
Multiple benchmarks can be applied in parallel — both sets of benchmark commentary will be surfaced in each section so the engineer can compare provisions against each.
Stage 2: What Is There
This stage is purely descriptive — define what is there, not whether it is compliant.
Complete a site survey to capture building and asset information directly, or reuse structured data already held in RiskBase from previous risk assessments, surveys, and inspections.
Review and complete the Building Information fields: overall layout and use, means of escape, detection and alarm, smoke control, and firefighting facilities.
Confirm the linked Asset Data is up to date — flats, fire doors, compartmentation, fire stopping, equipment.
Where representative data is used (e.g. a sample flat layout), enable the note: "The information shown represents a typical example selected from the building to demonstrate general provision."
The data captured here flows directly into each section of the strategy, so accuracy at this stage reduces rework later.
Stage 3: Is It Adequate
This is where professional judgement is applied. The strategy is organised into sections B1 to B5 (with sub-sections in residential templates). For each section, three blocks appear: "Benchmark Guidance", "What Is Provided", and "Professional Judgement". The first two are populated automatically from Stages 1 and 2. The third is written by the engineer.
For each judgement, work through the four questions:
Does the building meet the selected benchmark?
If not, why not?
Can the issue be justified or mitigated through a fire engineering solution?
If not, should an action be raised?
Images can be uploaded into the judgement block to support fire engineering solutions, illustrate mitigations, or evidence the conclusion reached.
Raise remedial actions
Where a shortfall cannot be justified, raise a remedial action against the finding. Once raised, actions are available for clients to manage in the RiskBase "Task Management" interface, alongside all other action types.
Review the Plans section
The "Plans" section appears at the end of the document and is generated automatically from the property's floor plans and pinned assets. Review the output and confirm the visual layout correlates with the narrative in B1 to B5.
Write the Executive Summary
With all sections complete, write the "Executive Summary" — a high-level narrative reflecting on the overall findings, the adequacy of the building's fire safety approach, and any key risks, limitations, or considerations. Always write the summary last, so it is informed by the full assessment.
Submit the Strategy
Once the engineer is satisfied with the strategy, tap Submit to send it for approval. The strategy moves from In Progress to Submitted and awaits validation by the Approver within the organisation. Once approved, the strategy is finalised and forms part of the building's fire safety record.
After approval
The data captured during the Fire Strategy remains available across RiskBase — reused in subsequent FRAs, door surveys, compartmentation surveys, and inspections, and surfaced to clients on Engage.RiskBase.
For the fuller treatment of how this data flows, see The RiskBase Fire Strategy.
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