Fire risk assessment template (for electricians installing basic fire alarms)

In Scotland, we simply follow the requirements for private rented ( and from February 2020 all domestic properties) detailed in the relevant legislation - an FRA is not required in those situations.

in a typical semi, standard layout - optical top and bottom hall, optical main living area and heat in the kitchen - 10 year, non- replaceable battery wirelessly interlinked, mains interlinked or a combination of both all acceptable.

Once you start looking at HMOs then you are looking at a FRA completed by a suitably qualified individual.

PAS 79 Part 2 is the recognised template for domestic premises. I don’t have a copy so I can’t assist.  I reckon Geov is probably right in his general approach unless there is something which increases the risk, perhaps convoluted escape routes or disabled occupants and the like.
I don’t do domestic work but I would specify optical devices in all bedrooms. 

You need to think very carefully if you are being asked to complete a FRA. This is the duty holder’s job, not the electricians, and should be presented to you to design the system to. You also need to find out whether your liability insurance covers you for this. In most cases, I suspect it will be an add-on extra. 

Carrying out a FRA is a job for a qualified, experienced and insured  FRA. I assume you are not a qualified FRA or you would not be asking this question, It is not a job for a DIY FRA. Watch the You Tube video of the FRA being interviewed by the Grenfell inquiry. This person had  fabricated post nominals and issued a FRA that had been cut and pasted from another report for items that were not present at Grenfell. 

Very valid points from Alan and John. Like the electrical installation industry, there is a long hard look being taken at the competency of individuals and enterprises undertaking fire risk assessments and rightly so. 
To some extent the electrical side is ahead in that there are established mechanisms for competency and almost everyone uses BS7671 as a benchmark with certification and reporting documentation therein being employed as standard. 
Fire safety is awash with guides and standards including mechanisms to document fire risk assessments such as the two PAS 79 publications.
There are even considerable differences across the four U.K. nations in the approved documents that support the building regulations in each with BS9999 failing to get the traction needed to move towards a more unified approach. 

BS7671 may not be perfect but it beats the disjointed mess currently prevailing in the fire safety side!

Agree - FRA is not for you.

On the comments about fitting opticals, does no one fit ionisation types any more?

Thanks for the replies. I basically want to do everything that I am supposed to do to cover myself and do a proper job. I'd rather not do a FRA and just install the systems that the building regulations and BS 5839-6 recommend, which for my jobs will usually be D1/D2, LD2/LD3. I was thinking if it's easy enough to fill out a FRA then I would just do it.

The worry is that if BS 5839-6 says I should be doing a FRA before starting work then I should be to not get in trouble if it ended up in court etc. I'm pretty sure nobody out there is doing a FRA for domestic jobs though? Does everyone just ignore this for domestic jobs and use common sense?

We have never had an FRA done in a domestic property. If installing new or upgrading, we do look at the property, how it’s being used and if any of the occupants have any special requirements/hobbies in relation to being notified of a smoke/fire risk. We suggest further protection if we think it’s sensible, but the final say rests with the customer.

Also, I simply can’t see most domestic customers paying for a FRA.

I’m not say we’re 100% correct, just being upfront on how we operate.

Thanks for the information.