The Association for Specialist Fire Protection (ASFP) has published a revised Guide to Passive Fire Protection for Fire Risk Assessors, updating one of the sector's most widely used references so that it reflects the fire safety laws introduced after the Grenfell Tower fire. For fire safety and building compliance professionals, the revision matters because it aligns everyday assessment practice with the current legal framework.
What has changed
The revised guide is aimed at Type 1 fire risk assessors and sets out clearer checks for the passive measures that hold a building's compartmentation together. It adds enhanced guidance on inspecting fire doors, new procedures for evaluating external walls, and a fresh annex covering external wall construction. Together these changes reflect where recent failures and regulatory attention have concentrated since 2017.
Why it reflects post-Grenfell law
The update brings the guide into line with the Fire Safety Act 2021, the Fire Safety (England) Regulations 2022 and the Building Safety Act 2022, the three pillars of the reformed regime, with particular relevance to higher-risk buildings. The ASFP's role here reflects the collaborative model it was founded on, bringing manufacturers, contractors and certification bodies together to raise standards across installed fire protection.
The wider 2026 picture
The revision lands during a broader shift in how fire performance is classified. During 2026 the UK is completing its move away from the long-standing BS 476 test standard towards the European BS EN 13501 system, which sets out clearer criteria for fire performance. The ASFP has also drawn attention to a less discussed risk, the effect of structural movement on passive fire protection, warning that thermal expansion, dynamic loads and material behaviour can all undermine firestopping over a building's life.
What it means for assessors
For fire risk assessors and the businesses that employ them, the practical message is to work from the current guidance rather than older editions, and to make sure external walls, fire doors and firestopping are assessed against the reformed legal duties. Keeping competence and reference material current is now a core part of demonstrating compliance, not an optional extra.
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