FIRE SAFETY TIMELINE
The law didn't arrive all at once
Fire safety law built up over two decades, in steps, with one tragedy at the centre of it. Here is the path from the Fire Safety Order to the duties that bite today, and what is still coming.
THE SHORT VERSION
One tragedy, a decade of change
It is easy to feel the rules came from nowhere. They did not. They arrived in a clear sequence, each one answering a gap the one before left open, and most of them tracing back to a single night in June 2017.
Seeing the order helps. It tells you why a duty exists, when it started to apply to your building, and where the next change is heading. Work down the timeline, and tap any point to see what it actually means.
Tap any event on the timeline to see what happened, why it mattered, and what it changed.
Dates mark when each measure took effect, was published or was announced. This is background on how the law developed, not advice on a specific building. Terms.
THE TIMELINE
From 2006 to now, and what's next
WHERE YOU STAND
Which of these apply to your building?
Not every duty hits every building. Most depend on height, on how many homes are inside, and on how the building is meant to be evacuated. The quickest way to see where yours sits is to start with its height and use.
If you are not sure whether yours counts as a higher-risk building, our checker walks you through it in a minute. And if you want to know which of these are hard duties and which are only guidance, that is what the law vs guidance page is for.
Lost track of what applies to you?
Tell us about your buildings and we will map which of these duties you actually carry, and what is still outstanding.