Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

In principle, the owner / property manager is responsible for carrying out the fire inspection.

If there is a sweeping obligation according to § 19 para. 1 K-GFPO, the fire inspection is to be carried out by the master chimney sweep himself.

If there is no sweeping obligation, the owner / property manager must commission an authorized chimney sweep to do so. The owner must bear the costs.

For objects of high risk, an expert / engineering office should be hired.

The fire inspection is to be carried out yes according to the size and risk of the object in the intervals of 5/09/15 years.

Low risk:

• Residential buildings with no more than two independent dwellings and other structures with similar fire safety risk

High risk:

1. Operating facilities that are subject to a federal or state legal provision enacted in implementation of the Seveso II Directive 96/82/EC or the IPPC Directive 2008/1/EC, in particular Sections 77a and 84a of the Industrial Code 1994, Sections 59 and 60 of the Waste Management Act 2002, as well as the Carinthian IPPC Facilities Act and the Carinthian Seveso Operations Act;
2. Operational buildings and facilities with extensive fire protection equipment requiring maintenance, such as fire alarm systems, sprinkler systems, gas extinguishing systems and smoke heat exhaust systems;
3. Commercial buildings with more than 2000 m² of operating space;
4. Structures for large gatherings of people, which are more than 120 people in one room or more than 240 people in contiguous rooms;
5. Buildings with common rooms with an escape level of more than 22 meters (high-rise buildings);
6. Hospitals, retirement and nursing homes;
7. Garages with a usable area of over 1000m²;
8. other objects with increased fire risk, such as historically valuable buildings and museums;
9. economically significant buildings, such as district heating plants over 350 kW;
10. Biogas plants;
11. Buildings in which difficult evacuation and rescue conditions can be expected in case of fire.

Medium risk:

All objects that do not fall into the low and high risk.

The division is made by the responsible chimney sweep. An appeal against this is possible to the mayor.

The cost of the fire inspection is charged for the low and medium risk by the chimney sweep according to the fee ordinance of the provincial government. For the high risk, a quote must be obtained. The billing at our company is based on time and effort.

The number of sweeps of the chimney depends on the heating medium used.

4x per year for:
solid fuels, heavy fuel oil, medium fuel oil or light fuel oil. There must be at least 8 weeks between cleanings and they must take place in the period from September 15 to May 31.

2x per year:
for heating oil extra light or equivalent, pellets with heating power less than 30kW heating power. There must be at least 16 weeks between cleanings and they must take place in the period between September 15 and May 15.

1x per year:
Gas firing systems

Basis: K-GFPO §23 Abs 1

Each fireplace must be cleaned due to the possible contamination.

Upon request, the mayor may reduce the number of cleanings, subject to the approval of the responsible chimney sweep.

However, at least one sweep per year is required.

Basis: K-GFPO §20 Abs 2

The chimney sweep is responsible for sweeping the chimney. Under certain conditions(K-GFPO §20 Abs 2) can be approved by the mayor. However, a sweeping is always required by the chimney sweep per year.

There is also the ÖNORM B 8311 - Installation and construction of domestic fireplaces. It should also be noted that depending on the design of the object, fuel, ... there may be corresponding specifications and guidelines. Before installation, it is essential to seek the agreement of the responsible chimney sweep.

Open fire and light / candles:

Candles and open lights must always be kept under supervision. Even leaving a room for a short time can lead to problems. We therefore recommend that candles should only be lit when you are in the room. Leaving candles burning is prohibited. The necessary precautions for lighting candles should not be ignored. Remember that every large fire starts from a small spark. The fire spreads very quickly. Reference: K-GFPO §9

Every 5 years every company is obliged to carry out an inspection according to §82b GewO.

Anyone may carry out this inspection themselves if they have the necessary specialist knowledge. Otherwise, he must use the services of appropriate specialists.

If it is not a standard single-family property, it is urgently recommended to obtain a review by a specialist here. Through targeted planning of the necessary measures, costs can be saved in advance.

There are legal requirements. Fire protection should protect life. In the event of a fire, safe escape and spread within the building must be limited and the protection of emergency personnel must be ensured.

Fire protection is a part of the entire design and construction phase.

Fire protection becomes expensive if it is not planned into the project from the outset. In our experience, savings of up to 30% are possible with good planning.

The essential guideline is the OIB guideline. This specifies the structural measures required.

The authority must assess fire protection and also address and consider it in the approval process.

It is best to consult a specialist. A specialist (structural engineer) is also consulted for the structural analysis. This person knows the current specifications best.

Fire protection is life protection. Only with early planning is it possible for a company to survive a crisis. Every company has obligations, such as supply agreements,... These must be complied with.

Reliable information is provided by your specialist planner. Otherwise, the OIB is at your disposal. Essential requirements for the building products are provided by the manufacturer as well as the relevant standards.

With detailed planning, fire protection is predominantly not a problem. In advance, these possible problems can already be taken into account. In the case of renovations, problems can become quite complex. The building products usually do not have the necessary approvals. Here, supervision by a specialist is very important.

Problems can only be avoided and prevented by appropriate and precise planning. The more complex the plant or construction project, the more precise the planning should be.

Today, there are very many ways that fire protection can also meet architectural specifications.

This results in a delay. Appropriate inquiries on the part of the authority lead to a delay in the approval. It can also happen that the authority is not aware of the full scope of the planned construction project. It can happen that conditions are imposed that are not or only partially required.

The time delay can be up to several years.

Fire protection is primarily the responsibility of the building authority and, in the case of operating facilities, also of the trade authority. In addition, the labor inspectorate must also be involved in the case of operating facilities.

There is a guideline. This is called the OIB guideline. It describes the basic requirements. However, deviations are possible through a fire protection concept.

• OIB Guideline
• Construction Products Directive
• Relevant standards and guidelines
• Building products specifications
• Employee protection regulations
• div. civil law agreements.

In principle, the builder is liable. To ensure that everything runs properly, he has his own specialist planners.

This can result in liabilities and convictions in all of the three legal matters (civil, criminal, and administrative).

The OIB guidelines divide residential buildings into 6 classes. (GK1 to GK5 and high-rise)

Due to this classification, corresponding different regulations also apply. These are contained in the OIB guideline.

Fire protection is part of the approval procedure. In principle, fire protection must always be ensured. There is, of course, the possibility of optimizing costs and design options through alternatives here. The pure processing of an object only according to the guideline is usually the simplest approval option. However, there are a number of alternatives available.

Comprehensive planning gives the opportunity to avoid seeing these measures, if possible. Disruption of the architecture and operation of the object should be prevented. The measures must not hinder the functionality of the object.

There are various documents and checklists. However, the individual measures should be planned and implemented here on the basis of the requirements (structural, architectural and functional).

There is a list in the regulation of when a fire protection concept is required. These are referred to in the guideline as special buildings. These are:

• Sales premises more than 3.000m² or more than 3 open sales levels
• Places of assembly with large stages or with more than three open connecting floors or an escape level of more than 22m
• Prisons
• Special structures to which the directive does not apply

However, in addition to the creation of a fire protection concept, it is also possible to carry out detailed BS planning here. This provides all parties involved with an exact representation of the measures required for the project. This serves the planners as well as the executing companies for the exact planning and implementation of the required fire protection measures.

In addition to the OIB guideline, there is also the TRVB (Technical Guideline Preventive Fire Protection). For special cases there are also insurance guidelines.

The district administrative authorities have their own official fire prevention experts. The fire prevention office is also available with experts at the provincial fire brigade association.

There are two options, either integrate the fire protection measures into the structural submittal plans or supplement the construction documents with your own representations.

We have made the experience that it is very helpful, even if there is no requirement for a fire protection concept, to carry out detailed BS planning here. This allows all necessary measures to be taken into account in advance by the specialist planners (architecture, landscape planning, HVAC, electrical). This planning serves the client and his planners for an optimal handling of the building project and not the authority.

The earlier we as specialist planners can prepare a concept or detailed planning for an object, the fewer problems there will be in the further phases.

We first create a rough concept. This serves the planners for the necessary further steps. Afterwards, the individual steps are accompanied by us. Before the project is submitted, the finished and coherent fire protection project / fire protection concept is created.

This concept serves the authority as a basis for assessment and approval. However, it is also intended as a guideline for the executing companies when implementing the prescribed measures.

It is recommended to have the execution of the fire protection work supervised and accompanied by a specialist construction management.

We also have the option of putting all safety-related equipment out to tender separately. We have observed that there is enormous potential for savings here. Costs can be saved here by precisely specifying the required services.

Coordination takes place through targeted and planned checks at the construction sites. This requires close coordination between the construction management and us as specialist planners. Only in this way do we know when to plan and carry out the next site visit. There is a corresponding protocol for each site visit. This is sent to all the companies involved. Defects are checked during the next visit.

There are different requirements. For various components, it is advisable to check the approval in detail beforehand. This must be coordinated depending on the construction step.

The following trades are affected by fire protection:

• HVAC
• Electric
• Facade construction
• Joiner
• Doors, windows,...

There is hardly a trade that is not affected.

Problems can easily arise because one trade usually builds on the other. If there are problems from one trade, this very often leads to problems in the following trades.

After all, the client wants to receive a qualitatively appropriate service for his money.

The optimization of the trades results in an accurate execution of the products.

Incorrect installation and the use of the wrong products can lead to problems during execution. In most cases, this in turn results in problems during further execution. This leads to a delay in construction. Further unnecessary costs also arise here.

By specifying the products, it is possible to carry out optimization here as well. It can happen that two trades (e.g. electrical and HVAC) use different materials that are not compatible. This can lead to a supplementary order.

Quality assurance includes:

• Verification of proper processing
• Documentation of the fire protection measures
• ...

Depending on the type of object and the plant, there may be other or additional requirements. In this regard, a separate consultation is always required. Of course, we also represent you vis-à-vis the insurance company in the course of risk assessments. Also in case of damage we are at your disposal with our knowledge.

We manage a large number of projects every year. Inquire with us!

Yes - there is very much the possibility of obtaining additional benefits here. By optimizing the measures, there is also the possibility of obtaining discounts from the insurance company in some areas.

A consultation must be related to a specific project. A general presentation is not possible.

Invoicing is mainly done on an hourly basis. Due to problems with individual trades, it is therefore also possible to apportion the costs to the trades causing the problems. Flat-rate billing is also possible.

Due to the lack of planning, additional costs of up to 70% of the original construction costs are to be expected here.

Send us a draft plan of your building project. We will be happy to prepare an offer for you.

Contact us at the office (+43 4242 / 33141-0). An appointment is possible at any time during business hours.

Consultations and contact via Skype and Microsoft teams are also possible at any time. Contact via email is of course also possible.

The scope and requirements define the required scope of services. In urgent cases, we will of course endeavor to attend to you immediately. We are also available for you at short notice in problem cases.

Ask us for the reference list.

We handle all your safety-related installations and projects for you.

We are available Monday through Thursday from 08:00 to 17:00 and Fridays between 08:00 and 14:00.

We strive to act as a problem solver for our client. The client has enough problems. We are happy to take care of the safety-related problems.

What tenders can we receive from you?

We prepare tenders for all safety-related equipment and facilities such as:

• Fire alarm systems
• Sprinkler systems
• Smoke and heat exhaust ventilation systems (SHEVS)
• Fire smoke ventilation systems (BRE, stairwell smoke ventilation systems)
• Video surveillance
• Access monitoring
• Gas extinguishing systems
• Video fire monitoring
• Special equipment
• What expert opinions can they also provide?

We provide the following expert opinions:

• Fire protection concepts
• Remediation concepts
• Fire simulations
• Escape route simulations
• People Flow Analysis
• Risk analyses
• Incident analyses
• Damage assessments
• Fire investigation
• .....