It should noted that although there is no legislative requirement for the fire risk assessment to be carried out by a competent person, one of the most usual reasons for the 'Responsible Person' to be taken to court is because their Fire Risk Assessment was not 'suitable & sufficient' as required by the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005.

Before carrying out or commissioning a Fire Risk Assessment take time to check that the criteria can be met by the Fire Risk Assessor.

The information below is taken directly from Competency Criteria for Fire Risk Assessors Published by the FIRE RISK ASSESSMENT COMPETENCY COUNCIL on 21/12/11.

Fire safety legislation requires that, for most premises except private dwellings, a fire risk assessment must be carried out to determine the risks to people from fire. The legislation also requires that suitable measures are taken to ensure the safety of people from fire. The appropriate fire precautions are determined by the fire risk assessment.

There is no legislative requirement for the fire risk assessment to be carried out by a competent person. This is to avoid an implication that every duty holder (Responsible Person) under the legislation needs to employ the services of a fire safety specialist, such as a consultant, to carry out their fire risk assessment.

For small, simple premises, it is often the duty holder (Responsible Person) that carries out the fire risk assessment. Arguably, in these premises, the duty holder (Responsible Person) is the best person to do so because of their intimate knowledge of the premises and the activities therein. Guidance to support those wishing to carry out the fire risk assessment themselves has been made available by the Government.

However, for many premises, the duty holder (Responsible Person) will need to seek the services of an external consultant ('a fire risk assessor'). In the case of larger, more complex or high risk premises, this is often appropriate, as the task might well be beyond the ability of the duty holder (Responsible Person).

The following link takes you to:

FIRE RISK ASSESSMENT COMPETENCY COUNCIL
Competency Criteria for Fire Risk Assessors
Version 1
Published : 21/12/11

This document sets out the competency criteria needed by consultant Fire Risk Assessors.

http://www.britishfireconsortium.org.uk/pdf/fire_risk_assessment_competency_document.pdf