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Fire risk assessments are designed to reduce risk. Yet for many organisations, the templates they rely on to demonstrate compliance may be doing the opposite.

Outdated, generic, or inflexible fire risk assessment templates can quietly introduce gaps, missed hazards, inconsistent reporting, and a lack of clarity that exposes both assessors and building owners to legal and safety risks.

As a fire safety software provider working closely with assessors, we see this problem quite often. The issue isn’t that templates are used, it’s how they’re used, and whether they truly reflect the building, the risk, and current best practice.

The Risk of Generic, One-Size-Fits-All Templates

No two buildings are the same. Occupancy, layout, construction, management arrangements, and fire strategy all influence risk. Yet many fire risk assessments are still carried out using static templates that assume they are.

Generic templates often:

• Ask identical questions regardless of building type or use

• Encourage a tick-box approach rather than risk-led thinking

• Fail to adapt when higher-risk conditions are identified

This can result in assessments that appear complete, but don’t fully capture the reality of the building. When the template doesn’t prompt the right questions, critical hazards can be missed, not through negligence, but through limitation of the tool itself.

Why Bespoke, Risk-Led Templates Matter

A well-designed fire risk assessment template should do more than record answers. It should guide the assessor through a structured, logical process that reflects the complexity of the building and the people within it.

That’s why a bespoke approach is so important.

Bespoke templates allow you to:

• Tailor questions to specific building types, uses, or client requirements

• Reflect unique fire strategies, management arrangements, or occupancy profiles

• Ensure higher-risk elements receive appropriate depth and scrutiny

• Maintain consistency while still allowing professional judgement

Rather than forcing assessors to work around a template, bespoke templates work with them, supporting better decisions and clearer reporting.

Aurora’s Fire Risk Assessment Templates

Our fire risk assessment app has been built with this exact challenge in mind. Our core fire risk assessment templates are structured around the PAS 79:2020 and BS 9792-2025 methodology, ensuring assessments are both robust and defensible.

Aurora currently includes three main FRA templates:

• Residential Fire Risk Assessment
  Designed for purpose-built blocks, HMOs, and other residential settings, with clear focus on common parts, vulnerable occupants, and management responsibilities.

• Commercial Fire Risk Assessment
  Suitable for offices, retail, industrial, and mixed-use premises, supporting consistent hazard identification and clear prioritisation of actions.

• Pre-Occupancy Safety Template
  Developed to assess fire safety conditions prior to occupation, helping dutyholders identify issues early and reduce downstream risk.

Each template provides structure and consistency while remaining flexible enough to reflect real-world conditions, not just idealised ones.

When Standard Templates Aren’t Enough

While these core templates cover the majority of use cases, we recognise that some organisations have more specific needs. Complex estates, specialist premises, internal reporting standards, or contractual requirements often demand something more tailored.

That’s why Aurora also supports bespoke fire risk assessment templates, created to meet your exact requirements.

Bespoke templates can be configured to:

• Align with internal processes or client frameworks

• Capture additional data points or risk factors

• Standardise reporting across large or diverse portfolios

• Support specialist or non-standard premises

If you need a template that goes beyond the standard approach, our team can work with you to design a solution that fits.

Please contact us to discuss your requirements.

Fire risk assessments are legal documents. In the event of an incident, they must demonstrate that risks were identified, evaluated, and managed using a suitable and sufficient methodology.

Reducing Liability Starts with the Right Structure

When a template is too generic or outdated, it can become a weak point,one that’s difficult to defend under scrutiny.

By adopting a bespoke approach where needed, assessors and dutyholders can reduce inconsistency, close compliance gaps, and ensure their assessments truly reflect the risks present.