Free Fire Safety Logbook Template (UK): PDF & Excel

Under the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005, the responsible person must maintain fire-safety measures, and in practice that means keeping records. This free template gives you the four registers a fire risk assessor asks for first.

⬇ Download PDF (print-ready)⬇ Download Excel (editable)

Free for use within your organisation. No sign-up required. If it saves you time, a link back to this page is always appreciated.

What's in the template

• Weekly fire alarm test sheet: call-point rotation log (BS 5839-1 recommends testing a different call point each week)
• Fire drill record: evacuation times, issues found, who ran it
• Monthly extinguisher visual checks: in place, pin intact, pressure in green
• Emergency lighting section, or use the dedicated emergency lighting test log

How to use it

Print the PDF and keep it in your fire logbook folder by the main panel, or use the Excel version if you keep records digitally. Test a different call point each week and record its location: "tested weekly" with no call-point reference is a common assessor criticism. Keep completed sheets for at least three years.

Is a fire safety logbook a legal requirement?

The law requires fire-safety measures to be maintained and, for most workplaces, the significant findings of your fire risk assessment to be recorded. A logbook is how you evidence both. See our full guide: is a fire safety logbook a legal requirement?

Who must keep this record

Fire safety record keeping is the job of the responsible person for non-domestic premises. Article 9 of the Fire Safety Order requires a suitable and sufficient fire risk assessment, and Article 9(6) requires the significant findings to be recorded if you employ five or more people, if a licence is in force, or if an alterations notice has been served.

• Employers, for any workplace under their control.
• Occupiers, for premises they control in connection with their trade or undertaking.
• Landlords and managing agents, for common areas of blocks of flats, HMOs and residential care premises. Single private dwellings sit outside the Order, and tenants may share the duty depending on the lease.
• You can delegate the day-to-day tasks to a competent person. You cannot delegate the legal responsibility.

How long to keep it

The Fire Safety Order sets no retention period. General guidance is at least three years, longer where you can, with training records held for the duration of employment and beyond. Storage is cheap and a missing historic record is not, which is why many organisations keep everything.

What a completed entry looks like

Every entry should be dated, signed and complete enough to stand on its own. Compare these with "alarm tested, OK".

• Weekly alarm test: "06/03/2026, 10:00, call point CP-07 first floor east corridor, sounders operated in all zones, panel reset, tested by J. Okafor." Next week, CP-08.
• Monthly extinguisher check: "EXT-12, water, reception: in place, pin and seal intact, gauge in green, no damage."
• Fire drill: "12/05/2026, started 14:32, building clear 14:36, 48 people out, rear exit door stiff."
• Close-out: "rear exit door eased and re-checked 15/05/2026." The same fault logged month after month with no repair shows you knew about a hazard and did not act.

FAQs

Do I need a fire safety logbook with fewer than five employees?

The legal duty to record your fire risk assessment starts at five employees, or where a licence is in force or an alterations notice has been served. A logbook is still strongly recommended below that threshold: it shows due diligence, supports an insurance claim and stops checks being missed. Fire officers expect to see evidence of fire safety management in any business premises.

How long should I keep completed sheets?

There is no period set in the Fire Safety Order. General guidance is at least three years, and longer where practical, with training records held for the duration of employment and beyond. Many organisations keep everything indefinitely because storage costs so little.

What do I do if a weekly test gets missed?

Record the gap honestly and note when the test was actually carried out. Never backdate an entry: that is falsification of records and can lead to prosecution. A gap you have explained is far easier to defend than an entry that turns out to be untrue.

Who can ask to see the logbook?

Fire and rescue authority officers can inspect your fire safety records at any reasonable time. Your insurer may also ask for them, particularly after a claim. Health and safety inspectors may review fire safety as part of a wider workplace inspection.

Sources

legislation.gov.ukRegulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005gov.ukWorkplace fire safety: your responsibilities