Work with businesses to help protect people, premises, and the environment from fire.
Apprentices learn to carry out fire safety audits on simple premises, including small shops, offices, and industrial units. The programme covers fire risk assessment methods, relevant legislation (including the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order), health and safety law, data protection, and safeguarding. Apprentices develop the knowledge to identify and assess fire hazards and control measures, write post-audit reports, and advise business owners on reducing risk. They also learn when a situation falls outside their scope and how to escalate appropriately.
Much of the role is site-based. Apprentices plan and carry out visits to simple premises, assess escape routes, fire detection systems, and management practices, then produce written audit reports with recommendations. They communicate findings clearly to business owners or managers, sometimes alongside partner agencies such as local authority teams. Between visits, they maintain accurate records, process information in line with data protection requirements, and manage their own caseload. Reactive work after incidents, and occasional attendance at community safety events, also feature.
Completion typically leads to a confirmed fire safety advisor role within a Fire and Rescue Service or an in-house safety team across the public, private, or third sector. From there, advisors can progress toward more complex premises work, fire safety inspector roles, or management positions within fire protection departments. Employers include local authority fire services, housing associations, NHS trusts, facilities management companies, and large multi-site retail or industrial operators. The role sits within a regulated, professional discipline with clear progression routes toward higher-level fire safety qualifications.
Sorted by achievement rate.
No training providers currently listed for this standard.
Completers typically step into a Fire Safety Advisor post, conducting audits on simple premises such as small shops, offices and light industrial units, advising business owners on risk reduction, and producing post-audit compliance reports. Some move directly into community fire safety roles within a Fire and Rescue Service, while others take up in-house fire safety positions within large organisations that manage their own premises compliance programmes.
With three to five years of experience, advisors often move into roles covering more complex premises, such as Fire Safety Inspector or Fire Safety Officer, taking on higher-risk buildings and enforcement responsibilities. From there, two distinct tracks open up: a leadership route towards Fire Safety Manager or Head of Prevention, overseeing teams and strategy; or a technical specialist route focusing on particular occupancy types, building regulations consultancy, or fire engineering advisory work. Chartered membership of the Institution of Fire Engineers is a common professional milestone on both tracks.
Fire and Rescue Services across England, Scotland, and Wales are the most consistent hirers at this level, particularly within their business fire safety and protection teams. Beyond the public sector, employers include local authorities, housing associations, NHS trusts, facilities management companies, and specialist fire safety consultancies. Large retailers, logistics operators, and manufacturing businesses also employ advisors internally to manage ongoing compliance across their estate.
Throughout the apprenticeship, the learner works in their role while building the knowledge, skills, and behaviours needed to advise businesses on fire safety in simple premises. Before final assessment, the apprentice and their employer must confirm readiness through a gateway check, which typically involves confirming that the apprentice has met any English and Maths requirements and has gathered sufficient evidence of competence. Final assessment then confirms whether the apprentice can independently carry out the duties of the role. Assessment models for many standards are currently being updated under ongoing reforms, so check the standard's gov.uk page for the current specification.
Building a record of real workplace activity throughout the apprenticeship, rather than trying to gather evidence near the end, makes the gateway and final assessment far more straightforward. This means keeping detailed notes and documentation from premises visits, audit reports, stakeholder communications, and any post-incident work as it happens. Working closely with both the employer and the training provider to track progress against the knowledge, skills, and behaviours in the standard will help identify any gaps early and give enough time to address them before the readiness check.
Providers worth considering will have tutors with direct experience of fire safety regulation, ideally from a Fire and Rescue Service or a fire safety enforcement background. On FATP profiles, look for achievement rates above 65% and strong employer satisfaction scores, both of which matter here because completion depends heavily on coordinated workplace activity such as supervised premises visits. Check that the programme explicitly covers audit methodology for simple premises, fire risk assessment processes, and the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005. Providers who arrange or facilitate joint agency visits as part of the taught programme are a meaningful signal of practical depth.
Be cautious of providers whose delivery is classroom-heavy with little structure around supervised on-site auditing. If a provider cannot explain how apprentices practise completing post-audit reports or recommending risk reduction measures in real or realistic premises, the practical skills gap at endpoint assessment will be significant. A high volume of enrolled apprentices paired with a declining achievement rate should prompt questions. Vague answers about how they stay current with changes to fire safety guidance, including updates to building regulations or energy-related construction practices, are also worth probing.
Apprentices must be employed for the duration of the programme and not already hold a qualification at the same level covering the same content. There are no sector-mandated academic entry requirements for this standard, so employers set their own criteria. Candidates typically need a reasonable standard of literacy and numeracy, as the role involves interpreting legislation, writing audit reports, and communicating findings clearly to business owners. A background in fire services, health and safety, or facilities management can be helpful but is not required.
The typical duration is 18 months, though the actual time depends on the individual's prior experience and employer arrangements. Learning happens alongside the job: apprentices apply fire safety knowledge directly through workplace visits, audits, and casework. A proportion of time is set aside for off-the-job training, though the specific minimum percentage is subject to ongoing reform. Check the current funding rules on gov.uk for the up-to-date figure before planning delivery schedules.
Before moving to end-point assessment, the apprentice must pass through a gateway, a point at which the employer and training provider confirm the apprentice has developed the required knowledge, skills, and behaviours. Assessment models for many standards are being updated under current Skills England reforms, so the exact assessment methods may change. Check the current version of the standard on the Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education pages on gov.uk to confirm what end-point assessment involves before enrolling.
This standard sits in the £6,000 funding band. Larger employers who pay the apprenticeship levy draw the cost from their levy account. Smaller employers who do not pay the levy contribute 5% of the training cost, with the government paying the remaining 95%. Employers with fewer than 50 staff taking on an apprentice aged 16 to 18 pay nothing; the government covers the full training cost. Funding does not cover the apprentice's wage, which the employer pays in full throughout.
Day-to-day work centres on visiting simple premises, such as small shops, offices, and industrial units, to carry out fire safety audits. Apprentices assess fire hazards and risks, evaluate existing control measures, write post-audit reports, and advise business owners on what they need to improve. They also gather and process information for regulatory purposes, attend joint visits with partner agencies, and contribute to promotional work in the business community. Where a situation falls outside their remit, they refer it to the appropriate person.
Completion leads to the job title of fire safety advisor, with the competence to work independently on simple premises across a range of risk levels. From there, progression typically moves toward more complex premises and higher-risk environments, which may require further training or a higher-level apprenticeship in fire safety or fire engineering. Those employed by a Fire and Rescue Service may progress into enforcement or community safety roles, while those in the private or public sector can move into broader health, safety, and compliance positions.
Tell us a bit about your team and we'll send a shortlist.
Tell us your requirements and we'll match you with the right training providers.
Curated by Alex Lockey, FATP founder and editor. Last reviewed: .
Sources include the apprenticeship's official specification on apprenticeships.gov.uk, Skills England guidance, IfATE archive records, DWP funding bands, and provider data sourced directly from the public Apprenticeship Provider and Assessment Register (APAR). Standard reference: 250.
Some sections on this page were drafted with AI assistance from published source data and reviewed by a human editor before publication. See our editorial methodology for how we maintain this content. Spotted something out of date? Tell us.