TIER 2 · REFRAMED
Passive Fire Inspection
Canonical URL: fireqa.com/standards/passive-fire-inspection
1. TERM
A passive fire inspection is a structured on-site assessment of fire penetrations, firestopping installations, intumescent coatings, cementitious spray, and fire doors — recording the compliance status, condition, and photographic evidence of each item against the applicable tested system reference or maintenance standard.
2. PURPOSE
Passive fire inspections serve two distinct purposes depending on their position in the building lifecycle. During construction, an inspection verifies that each firestopping installation has been completed correctly before it is concealed or the building is handed over. During the operational life of the building, annual inspections under AS 1851 verify that passive fire systems remain effective and that no deterioration, damage, or unauthorised penetration has occurred.
In both cases, the inspection produces a documented record that supports certification, maintenance planning, and owner liability management.
3. SCOPE
Passive fire inspections apply across all building types where fire-rated barriers contain penetrations or coated elements — commercial, residential, industrial, health, and education. They are carried out by passive fire inspectors, firestopping auditors, passive fire certifiers, and fire engineers.
In Australia, post-installation inspections feed into passive fire certification and the AS 1851 annual maintenance regime. In New Zealand, equivalent inspections support compliance with the New Zealand Building Code Clause C.
4. INSPECTION MODES
FireQA supports three inspection modes. Inspection mode enables rapid site assessment — dropping a floor plan pin, capturing photos, and recording pass, fail, or TBC status for each item without completing a full installation record. Install-after-Fail mode reopens a failed inspection record so the remediation installer can see the failure details and recommended fix before completing the work. Audit mode supports third-party verification of completed installations against the passive fire register.
Items marked TBC indicate the item has been inspected but the compliance state cannot yet be determined — additional information or clarification is pending.
5. COMPONENTS
Per-item inspection record — location (floor plan pin), item type, substrate, FRL, compliance status, and photos
Pass / Fail / TBC status per item
Defect classification — non-conformance, defect, or critical defect
Action required and comments fields
Before and after photographic evidence
Marked-up floor plans — coloured status pins filterable by pass/fail/TBC
Defect report generation — internal and client-facing versions
Re-inspection support — failed items can be re-opened for Install-after-Fail workflow
6. OUTPUTS
Inspection Summary Register (client-facing) — passed, failed, and TBC records with photos and defect classification
Inspection Failed Register (internal) — failed items with remediation notes, pricing support, and photos
Individual As-Built inspection records — one per item, with full photo history
Marked-up floor plans with coloured status pins
FAIL register for client issue — available within 24 hours of inspection
Excel export for bulk data review and filtering
7. RELATIONSHIPS
From
Relationship
To
Passive Fire Inspection
part of
Passive Fire Compliance
Passive Fire Inspection
produced by
FireQA (Inspect/Install and AS 1851 modules)
Passive Fire Inspection
references
Passive Fire Register (baseline for audit inspections)
Passive Fire Inspection
resolves into
Passive Fire Audit — formal third-party verification
Passive Fire Inspection
resolves into
Passive Fire Certification — inspections are the evidence base
Passive Fire Inspection
resolves into
AS 1851 Register — annual maintenance inspections
Passive Fire Inspection
enables
Install-after-Fail — failed items convert to remediation install records
9. VERSION CONTROL
Version
1.0
Published
June 2026
Last updated
June 2026
Next review
July 2026
Owner
Clarinspect · fireqa.com