NSW Fire Safety Reforms: The who's who

With the NSW Fire Safety Reforms coming into enforcement on Friday, 13 February 2026, many organisations are asking the same question: 

“Who is actually responsible for what?” 

It’s a fair question. Fire safety has always involved multiple parties – but the reforms bring greater consistency in enforcement and sharper focus on accountability. 

This short guide explains: 

• who plays which role under the NSW Fire Safety Reforms 

• where responsibility can (and can’t) be delegated 

• where organisations are most exposed 

• and where tools like Locatrix fit ( and don’t fit) in the mix. 

Who this guide is for 

This guide is written for people who are accountable for fire safety outcomes, even if they don’t personally design, inspect, or certify fire systems. 

In particular, it’s relevant for: 

• building owners and duty holders 

• property and facilities managers 

• compliance, risk, and safety leaders 

• organisations preparing for increased scrutiny. 

If you rely on contractors, reports, or historical sign-offs – this guide is designed to give clarity, not alarm. 

We've also created a checklist that you can complete here to check for any compliance gaps.

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Why clarity matters under the NSW Fire Safety Reforms 

The NSW Fire Safety Reforms are designed to lift consistency and confidence in fire safety outcomes. The underlying standards haven’t changed, but expectations around accountability and evidence are clearer. 

As a result, organisations are engaging more closely with regulators, fire practitioners, and internal teams. Where roles were once loosely defined, they now intersect more visibly, making clarity around responsibility and preparedness essential. 

For many organisations, the opportunity is not to do more, but to better understand how existing responsibilities fit together. 

Regulators: setting expectations and enforcing compliance 

Regulators such as Building Commission NSW and Fire and Rescue NSW play a critical role in the system, but their responsibilities are often misunderstood. 

Their role is to set enforcement expectations, conduct audits and investigations, and take action where compliance can’t be demonstrated. They assess outcomes and evidence – they don’t prepare sites, manage building information, train occupants, or maintain day-to-day readiness. 

That distinction matters. Regulators evaluate what’s presented to them; they don’t create it. 

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Fire practitioners: design, inspect, and certify 

Fire practitioners include fire engineers, accredited inspectors, and AS 1851 service and maintenance providers and are essential to fire safety compliance. 

They interpret technical standards, inspect systems and equipment, and provide professional certification and sign-off. What’s often overlooked is that practitioners rely heavily on the quality of information they’re given. 

They don’t own whether building plans are accurate, whether records are easy to access, or whether occupants understand procedures. Even the best technical expertise has limits when inputs are poor. 

Practitioners depend on accurate information,  but they don’t control it. 

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Building owners and duty holders: where accountability sits 

Under the reforms, accountability can’t be outsourced. 

Building owners and duty holders are responsible for ensuring fire safety systems are maintained, inspections and certifications occur, records are accurate and defensible, and people know what to do in an emergency. 

This is where risk most commonly appears. Not because organisations disregard safety, but because information is fragmented, plans are outdated or inaccessible, and preparedness is assumed rather than tested. 

The reforms don’t create these gaps; they make them more visible.

Occupants and staff: preparedness in practice 

Emergency response doesn’t happen in documents; it happens with people. 

Occupants, wardens, and frontline staff need clear, accessible plans, training that reflects the real building, and confidence under pressure. If preparedness isn’t embedded in everyday operations, compliance exists only on paper. 

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Where Locatrix fits — and where it doesn’t 

It’s important to be clear about this. 

Locatrix doesn’t certify fire safety, replace fire practitioners, or interpret or enforce regulations. 

What Locatrix does is help organisations understand what’s changing and support compliance by making building information, plans, and preparedness accurate, accessible, and usable in practice. 

In simple terms, Locatrix helps bridge the gap between regulatory expectations and real-world readiness. 

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How our tools support this 

• PlanStudio supports accurate, current digital building plans 

• PlanSafe supports preparedness, training, and confident response. 

Both work alongside fire practitioners and regulators – not instead of them. 

‍The key takeaway 

Under the NSW Fire Safety Reforms, no single provider “owns” compliance, but accountability is clearer than ever. 

Organisations that understand who does what, and why, are far better placed to respond when scrutiny increases. Clarity is one of the simplest forms of risk reduction. 

You can also read our explainer blog here.

References  

• Building Commission NSW | NSW Government: NSW Fire Safety Reforms (enforcement from 13 February 2026) - Reforms to building fire safety regulation 

• Building Commission NSW | Australian Standard AS 1851–2012 (routine service of fire protection systems and equipment) 

• Template | Fire Safety Schedule (FSS) template 

• Fire and Rescue NSW | Lodge a Fire Safety Statement 

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