Irreplaceable buildings.
Volunteer congregations.
Fire safety that protects both.
Churches, chapels, and places of worship present a fire risk profile unlike any other premises. Historic and often listed buildings, naked flames as part of worship, volunteer rather than professional management, and periods of very high occupancy all demand an assessment that understands the setting. We work with churches across the North West and North Wales to protect both the congregation and the building.
Does your assessment need reviewing?
Any of these mean yes — by law.
You have reordered or altered the interiorAny change to layout, seating, or means of escape requires reassessment.
You now host community or commercial lettingsNew uses bring new occupants unfamiliar with the building and its escape routes.
You have installed a new heating systemHeating is one of the most common causes of fire in church buildings.
Your assessment was done by a well-meaning volunteerThe fire safety order requires a competent person; good intentions are not the legal test.
You hold major festival services with high attendanceChristmas, Easter, weddings, and funerals create occupancy levels your normal assessment may not cover.
Your last assessment is more than 12 months oldAn annual review is the recommended minimum for buildings open to the public.
The problems we
hear most often
Fire safety in churches is almost always managed by volunteers carrying it alongside everything else a church needs. These are the situations that bring church officers to us.
"Our fire risk assessment was done years ago by a member of the congregation. We are not sure it is valid or up to date."
The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 requires the assessment to be carried out by a competent person. An assessment completed by a well-meaning volunteer without fire safety training may not meet this standard, however diligent the effort. We carry out proper assessments that satisfy the legal test, your insurer, and the fire authority, and we explain clearly what your volunteers can manage themselves going forward.
"Our insurer has asked for a current fire risk assessment and we cannot find ours, or we are not confident it is adequate."
Church insurers, including the specialist providers, increasingly require a current, competently produced fire risk assessment as a condition of cover. For an irreplaceable historic building, the consequences of inadequate cover do not bear thinking about. We produce documentation that satisfies church insurers and gives your PCC or trustees confidence that the building is properly protected.
"We have started hiring out the hall and hosting community events. We do not know whether our fire safety arrangements still cover us."
Opening your building to community groups, lettings, or commercial events introduces occupants who are unfamiliar with the building, often outside normal service times. Each new use changes the fire risk profile and should trigger a review. We assess the building for all its actual uses, not just Sunday worship, and advise on what each letting arrangement requires.
What makes places of worship
different to assess
A place of worship combines an irreplaceable historic building, naked flames as part of worship, and volunteer management. Each of these requires specific attention in the assessment.
Historic & listed buildings
Many churches are listed buildings of timber, stone, and irreplaceable historic fabric. The building itself is part of what must be protected, and any fire safety measures must respect listed building consent. Detection and protection have to be designed sympathetically, which requires an assessor who understands both fire safety and heritage constraints.
Candles & liturgical fire
Candles, votive lights, sanctuary lamps, and other naked flames are integral to worship in many traditions. They cannot simply be removed, so they must be managed: location, supervision, distance from combustibles, and safe extinguishing all need to be assessed and controlled rather than prohibited.
A leading cause of church fires
Heating is one of the most common causes of serious fire in church buildings. Older boilers, portable heaters, and heating systems running in large, hard-to-heat spaces all present risk. The type, age, maintenance, and supervision of heating must be specifically assessed.
Festival & occasional services
A church that holds 40 people on an ordinary Sunday may hold several hundred at Christmas, Easter, a wedding, or a funeral. Escape route capacity and stewarding must be assessed for these peak occupancy events, not just normal use, because that is when the building is most crowded with people who may not know it.
No professional facilities team
Unlike a commercial building, a church rarely has a professional facilities manager. Fire safety responsibilities fall on churchwardens, PCC members, elders, or trustees who are volunteers. The assessment must produce a fire safety regime that volunteers can realistically manage, with clear, practical actions rather than corporate jargon.
Open access & arson exposure
Churches are often left open during the day for private prayer and visitors, and many stand in isolated or poorly overlooked locations. This openness, while valued, increases exposure to arson and accidental fire. The assessment must balance the church's mission to remain open with practical security and fire prevention measures.
Fire safety and listed building consent
Installing fire detection, emergency lighting, or fire doors in a listed church building may require listed building consent, and measures must be designed to minimise impact on historic fabric. This is where many churches feel caught between their legal fire safety duties and their conservation obligations. We are experienced in assessing historic places of worship and recommend proportionate, sympathetic measures that protect the building and congregation without compromising the fabric, working alongside your diocese, denomination, or conservation officer where required.
We have written in depth
for your type of church
The responsible person, the building, and the way fire safety is governed vary significantly across traditions. Each of these pages covers what matters for your setting.
Anglican churches
The PCC as responsible person, the faculty system, listed building consent, and the quinquennial inspection.
View pageCatholic churches
Diocesan trustee structures, votive candles and sanctuary lamps, and parish hall lettings.
View pageMethodist & free churches
Circuit and trustee responsibility, community use, and modern as well as historic buildings.
View pageEvangelical & independent churches
Repurposed buildings, modern AV and staging, large gatherings, and trustee accountability.
View pageChurch halls & community use
Third-party lettings, playgroups, kitchens, and the responsibilities that come with hiring out.
View pageCathedrals & large churches
Complex buildings, very high festival occupancy, professional staff, and major heritage value.
View pageThree services.
One point of contact.
Fire risk assessments, fire door inspections, and fire safety training, delivered by one company that understands the specific demands of a place of worship.
Fire risk assessments
From £295 per assessmentA church-specific assessment covering heritage fabric, naked flame, heating, peak occupancy, and all the uses your building hosts. Clear written report suitable for your insurer, denomination, and the fire authority.
- Historic and listed building fabric considered
- Candle and naked flame management
- Heating system fire risk assessment
- Festival and peak occupancy escape capacity
- Lettings and community use assessed
- Written report suitable for church insurers
Fire door inspections
From £14 per doorFire doors in church halls, vestries, towers, and ancillary rooms are critical to containing fire and protecting escape routes. We inspect every component and give you a clear record of condition.
- Hall, vestry, kitchen, and ancillary room doors
- Frame, leaf, intumescent seals, hinges & hardware
- Self-closing devices and smoke seals
- Photographic evidence per door
- Prioritised remedial recommendations
Fire safety training
From £395 per sessionPractical, church-specific training for your wardens, stewards, and volunteers, covering the specific challenges of evacuating a place of worship, managing candles safely, and stewarding high-occupancy services.
- Fire marshal and steward training for volunteers
- Hands-on extinguisher use on a live fire
- Festival and high-occupancy evacuation
- Safe candle and naked flame management
- Certificates issued to all attendees
The framework places of
worship work within
Churches are not exempt from fire safety law because they are religious buildings. The obligations apply in full, alongside heritage and denominational considerations.
The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 applies to all non-domestic premises to which the public have access, including churches, chapels, and all places of worship. There is no religious exemption. The Responsible Person, usually the PCC, trustees, elders, or church council depending on the tradition, must carry out a suitable and sufficient fire risk assessment and implement the measures it identifies.
Identifying the Responsible Person in a church is not always straightforward, and responsibility can be shared. In the Church of England it typically rests with the Parochial Church Council; in the Catholic Church with diocesan trustees; in other traditions with the church council or charity trustees. We help you understand who carries the legal duty in your structure and ensure the assessment is addressed to the right people.
Fire safety measures in a listed church may require listed building consent, and in the Church of England the faculty system governs alterations. A competent assessor experienced in places of worship will recommend measures that are both legally adequate and capable of approval through these processes, rather than recommendations that cannot in practice be implemented.
Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005
Always appliesThe core legislation. Applies to all places of worship with public access. No religious exemption. Failure to comply can result in unlimited fines or imprisonment of the Responsible Person.
Listed building consent & faculty
Historic buildingsFire safety measures in listed churches may require listed building consent and, in the Church of England, a faculty. Measures must be designed to be approvable through these processes.
Church insurer requirements
Check your policySpecialist church insurers increasingly require a current, competently produced fire risk assessment as a condition of cover for an irreplaceable historic building.
Charity trustee duties
GovernanceWhere a church is a charity, trustees have a duty to protect its assets and people. An inadequate fire safety regime can represent a breach of trustee responsibility as well as fire safety law.
Experience you can
put in a report.
Tim founded Fletcher Risk Management to bring genuine expertise and personal accountability to fire safety consultancy in the North West. With more than 30 years in the fire industry, he understands the particular challenge of protecting historic and listed buildings while respecting their fabric and their purpose. When you book with Fletcher Risk, Tim carries out the work, the same qualified assessor every time.
- ABBE Level 4 Diploma in Fire Risk Assessment
- NEBOSH National General Certificate
- FPA Fire Safety Management Certificate
- Member — Fire Protection Association
Sam oversees operations and brings both fire safety qualifications and a legal background to the practice. For churches navigating the relationship between fire safety law, listed building consent, and charity trustee duties, Sam’s LLB gives him a thorough understanding of how those obligations interact and how to produce documentation that satisfies all of them.
- ABBE Level 4 Certificate in Fire Risk Assessment
- Bachelor of Laws (LLB)
- Master of Business Administration (MBA)
- 10+ years fire safety experience
“We have engaged Fletcher Risk Management to carry out surveys on a number of our sites for a very important client. The work produced exceeded our expectations by far. I would definitely recommend using this company.” — Marie Morgan · EIS Ltd ★★★★★
“Without doubt one of the best and most professional businesses I have used for our Fire Risk Assessment. Tim Fletcher is a highly regarded professional in his field. Don’t take a chance — protect your staff, protect your building.”
“We have engaged Fletcher Risk Management to carry out surveys on a number of our sites. I would never hesitate to send Tim — always professional, friendly and accommodating. The work exceeded our expectations.”
“Thorough, professional, and excellent value. The report was clear and the action points prioritised in a way that made it easy to know exactly what to tackle first. Would recommend without hesitation.”
Booked an assessment with us?
Read our short guide on how to prepare for your church fire risk assessment, covering the documents to gather, the access we need, and what to expect on the day.
Protect your church
and your congregation.
Whether you are responding to an insurer’s request, reviewing an old assessment, or opening your building to new uses, we can help. Call us for an honest conversation with no obligation.