Many buildings in the UK have smoke ventilation systems installed with incomplete or missing documentation. The original fire strategy may be unavailable. Installation records may have been lost during changes of ownership or management. In some cases, building managers do not even know the full extent of the smoke control equipment in their building.
The Building Safety Act 2022 has made this situation untenable. The golden thread of building safety information requires that fire safety assets are identified, documented, and maintained throughout the building’s lifecycle. Building representatives can no longer operate without knowing what smoke control equipment is in their building and how it is supposed to function.
This guide explains how to build a smoke control asset register from scratch, based on the SCA Guidance on Maintenance of Smoke Control Equipment.
Why an Asset Register Is Essential
An asset register is the foundation of every maintenance programme. Without it, a competent maintainer cannot verify whether the system is performing to specification, because the specification is unknown. A maintenance certificate issued without reference to the system design is, at best, a statement that individual components appeared to work when tested - it does not confirm that the system as a whole will perform its intended function during a fire.
The SCA guidance makes this point clearly: a schedule of maintenance checks is meaningless without knowledge of what assets exist, where they are located, how they interact with each other, and what their functional performance requirements are.
For higher-risk buildings under the Building Safety Act 2022, the asset register also forms part of the digital golden thread that the Principal Accountable Person is legally required to maintain.
Step 1: Determine Your Starting Point
The information-gathering process depends on whether you are dealing with a new installation or an existing building.
For new installations (Type 1 in the SCA guidance): the installer is required to provide full documentation as part of the handover process under the Building Safety Act. This should include system design drawings, cause-and-effect schedules, commissioning certificates, and the fire strategy. If this documentation was not provided at handover, it should be requested immediately.
For existing buildings (Type 2): if no original design or performance documentation is available, the building representative should commission a competent maintainer to carry out a physical survey of the building to identify all smoke control components. This is the more common - and more challenging - scenario.
Step 2: Identify the System Type
Before cataloguing individual components, establish what type of smoke control system is installed. The four main types are:
- Natural smoke ventilation (NSHEV) - uses thermal buoyancy to drive airflow through ventilators in stairwells and corridors
- Mechanical extract (MSVS) - uses fans to remove smoke from specified areas
- Pressure differential (PDS) - uses mechanical fans to create positive pressure differentials that keep escape routes clear
- Car park ventilation - uses fans to manage CO/NO2 emissions in normal operation and extract smoke during fire events
Many buildings have more than one system type, particularly where different parts of the building serve different functions. Each system type has its own maintenance schedule and performance criteria.
Step 3: Walk the Building and Identify Components
This is the physical survey stage. A competent maintainer should walk every floor of the building, inspecting every location where smoke control equipment may be present. The following components should be identified and recorded:
Control equipment:
- Smoke control panels (also called controllers or status panels) - note the manufacturer, model, number of zones, and location
- Firefighter override switches - note the location, type, and which zones they control
- Fire detection interfaces - how the smoke control system connects to the fire alarm
Ventilation components:
- AOV windows and vents - note the manufacturer, size, type (top-hung, side-hung, pivot), and location (floor, zone, orientation)
- Roof vents and louvres - note the free area, whether motorised or manual, and the actuator type
- Smoke dampers - note whether fail-safe or fail-secure, motorised or thermally activated, and shaft location
- Fans - note whether supply or extract, duty or standby, the manufacturer and model, and the motor rating
Power systems:
- Primary power supply source and circuit identification
- Secondary power - batteries, UPS, or standby generator
- Automatic Transfer Switch (ATS) if installed
- Cable routes and cable types (fire-rated or standard)
Duct and shaft infrastructure:
- Smoke shafts - dimensions, integrity, whether shared with other services
- Ductwork - routes, fire dampers at compartment boundaries, access panels for cleaning
The SCA guidance appendices include labelled diagrams of typical natural, mechanical, and car park systems showing where to look for each component type.
Step 4: Record the Essential Characteristics
Identifying a component is not enough - you need to record its essential characteristics. These are the functional performance values that define what the component is required to do within the system.
For an AOV window, the essential characteristics include:
- The geometric or aerodynamic free area it must achieve when open
- Whether it opens automatically or is manually triggered
- The voltage and type of actuator
- The detection input that triggers it
For a smoke extract fan, the essential characteristics include:
- The design airflow rate
- The temperature and duration rating (e.g., F300 for 60 minutes, F400 for 120 minutes, or F600 for 60 or 90 minutes per BS EN 12101-3)
- Whether it is duty or standby
- The power supply configuration
These values should relate to the original fire strategy and system design. If the original design is not available, the competent maintainer should record what can be determined from the installed equipment and note any values that cannot be confirmed.
Step 5: Map the Cause and Effect
The cause-and-effect schedule defines how the system responds to a fire signal. For each zone, it specifies: which detection device triggers the response, which components activate, in what sequence, and what happens to components in other zones.
For example, a typical residential corridor system might specify: smoke detector on floor 5 triggers AOVs on floor 5 to open, closes AOVs on all other floors, and activates the firefighter switch indicator.
If no cause-and-effect documentation exists, the competent maintainer should create one by testing each zone and recording the actual system response. Any discrepancies between the expected and actual response should be flagged for investigation.
Step 6: Create the Register Document
The asset register should be a structured document - digital where possible to support the golden thread - that contains:
- Building information - address, building representative contact details, type of system, maintenance provider details
- System schematic - a diagram showing how all components connect and interact
- Asset inventory - every component listed with a unique identifier, location (block, floor, zone), manufacturer, model, installation date, and essential characteristics
- Cause-and-effect schedule - the full matrix of detection inputs and system responses by zone
- Maintenance history - a log of all inspections, tests, faults, and certificates
The SCA guidance includes an example logbook format in Appendix C that can be used as a starting template.
Step 7: Commission a Fire Risk Assessment
Once the asset register is complete, the building representative should commission or update a Fire Risk Assessment that accounts for the identified smoke control system. The FRA should confirm whether the system as documented is appropriate for the building and identify any deficiencies.
If the competent maintainer’s survey revealed components that are missing, damaged, or not performing to specification, the FRA should flag these and recommend remedial action.
Maintaining the Register
An asset register is not a one-time document. It must be updated whenever:
- Components are replaced or modified
- The system design is changed
- Zones are added or reconfigured
- Maintenance visits identify faults or advisories
- Building modifications affect the smoke control system (new partitions, changed layouts, added services in shafts)
The Building Safety Act 2022 makes it a legal requirement for higher-risk buildings to maintain this information as part of the ongoing safety case.
Getting Started
If you manage a building with a smoke ventilation system and you do not have a complete asset register, the first step is to contact a Maintenance Engineer, either one trained by the smoke control manufacturer or an SMR01 registered organisation, to carry out a survey.
The SCA Guidance on Maintenance of Smoke Control Equipment provides the detailed framework. Contact Vent Trade if you need help identifying your system, commissioning a survey, or building your asset register.
