ServiceM8 form
ServiceM8 inspection form for NSW annual fire safety statements
This ServiceM8 Form records an accredited practitioner (fire safety) assessing each measure on a building's NSW fire safety schedule, plus the Part 15 exit inspection. Each result carries the schedule's standard of performance, the date assessed and the practitioner's accreditation number, all within the 3 months before the owner issues the annual fire safety statement.
Last checked 25 Sep 2026 against the sources listed at the end of this page.
Free form ยท EP&A (Development Certification and Fire Safety) Regulation 2021 (NSW)
AFSS measure assessment form for fire protection
A per measure assessment record and a Part 15 exit inspection record, printed as one building register the owner attaches to the approved AFSS form.
The form: 21 questions
| Section | Question | Type | Req. | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Statement | Statement type | Choice Annual fire safety statement / Supplementary fire safety statement | Yes | Annual covers essential measures; supplementary covers critical measures only. |
| Statement | Planned statement issue date | Date | Yes | Every assessment date must fall within 3 months before this (1 month for supplementary). |
| Statement | Fire safety schedule reference and date | Text | Yes | The schedule the measures below are taken from. The AFSS must be accompanied by it. |
| Measure | Fire safety measure as worded on the schedule | Text | Yes | Copy the schedule's wording exactly, for example Portable fire extinguishers. |
| Measure | Minimum standard of performance on the schedule | Text | Yes | For example the Australian Standard and BCA clause the schedule names. |
| Measure | Measure listed on the schedule | Choice Yes, on the schedule / No, applies to the building but not on the schedule | Yes | Unscheduled measures are assessed to the standard they were originally designed to. |
| Measure | Critical fire safety measure | Choice No / Yes, critical | Yes | Critical measures also need supplementary statements at the schedule's interval. |
| Measure | Location or extent in the building | Text | Yes | |
| Measure | Date assessed | Date | Yes | |
| Measure | Assessment result | Choice Capable of performing to the standard / Not capable, defect recorded / Could not be assessed | Yes | |
| Measure | Defects and actions needed | Text (Multi-line) | Skipped when the result is capable of performing. | |
| Measure | Supporting service records | Text | Job numbers of the routine service forms that back this result. | |
| Measure | Photo of measure | Photo | ||
| Practitioner | APFS name | Text | Yes | |
| Practitioner | APFS accreditation number | Text | Yes | Goes against the measure on the statement. Only the name is listed where the owner was authorised to choose a competent person. |
| Practitioner | APFS address and phone | Text | Yes | |
| Practitioner | APFS signature | Signature | Yes | Makes this record the separate signed document the owner can attach. |
| Exits, annual only | Part of the building inspected for exits and paths of travel | Text | Part 15 inspection. Skipped for supplementary statements. | |
| Exits, annual only | Date exits inspected | Date | ||
| Exits, annual only | Exit inspection result | Choice No grounds for prosecution under Part 15 found / Breach found, detailed below | ||
| Exits, annual only | Exit breaches found | Text (Multi-line) |
Set it up in ServiceM8
- Turn on the Asset Management add-on and create an asset type called Fire safety schedule measure.
- For each building, add one asset per line on its fire safety schedule, with the measure wording and standard of performance in the asset name and notes, so the form can be run against each.
- Create the form under Settings > Forms > Add Form with the questions above and link it to the new asset type.
- Split the three exit questions into a second small form linked to the job rather than an asset, because the exit inspection covers the building, not one measure.
- Add Skip Question If conditions: skip Defects when Assessment result contains Capable, and skip the exit questions when Statement type contains Supplementary.
- In the asset template setup, choose the columns for the register: measure, standard of performance, date assessed, result and accreditation number, in the same order as Section 4 of the approved statement.
- Use Settings > Assets > Asset Register at the end to print the building's register for the owner, then check every date sits inside the window.
The schedule drives the form, not the equipment list
Most fire service forms are built around equipment types: an extinguisher check, a hydrant test, a detection system service. An annual fire safety statement (AFSS) in New South Wales works the other way round. It starts from the building's fire safety schedule, which lists each fire safety measure that applies to that building and the minimum standard of performance each must meet. The statement then declares that every essential measure on that schedule was assessed as capable of performing to that standard.
So the form below is one record per schedule line, not per device. A building whose schedule lists twelve measures produces twelve records, each quoting the schedule's own wording for the measure and its standard. If your technicians already run separate service forms for detection or hydrants, those stay; this form sits on top and answers the AFSS question for each line.
Who signs what
The Environmental Planning and Assessment (Development Certification and Fire Safety) Regulation 2021 splits the roles. An accredited practitioner (fire safety), or APFS, assesses the measures and inspects the exits. The owner or the owner's agent issues the statement and signs the declaration. The person who signs the declaration must not be an APFS who did the assessment, or their employer, employee or direct associate.
That is why this form is a supporting record, not the AFSS. The statement must be on the form approved by the Planning Secretary (version 4 has applied since 1 September 2022), and the department's FAQ says adding letterheads or logos, or adding or removing sections, may breach the Regulation. What your business hands the owner is the completed assessment record, signed by each APFS. The department's FAQ confirms an owner may attach a separate signed document from each practitioner instead of having them sign the statement itself.
The dates that make or break the statement
For an annual statement, the dates each measure was assessed and the exits were inspected must fall within the 3 months before the statement is issued. For a supplementary statement, covering critical fire safety measures that need checks more often than every 12 months, the window is 1 month. The form asks for the planned issue date up front and records the assessment date on every measure, so a result that has drifted out of the window is obvious before the owner signs.
The owner then submits the statement to the local council and to Fire and Rescue NSW, and displays a copy with the current fire safety schedule in a prominent place in the building.
What this form will not do
- This is not the AFSS. The statement must be on the Planning Secretary's approved form, signed by the owner or agent, not the practitioner.
- ServiceM8 does not compare dates, so it will not warn when an assessment falls outside the 3 month or 1 month window. The register makes it visible; a person still checks.
- The form assumes the practitioner holds the right accreditation for each measure. Check the scheme register before assigning work.
- Owners lodge with the council and Fire and Rescue NSW themselves; nothing on this form submits the statement.
Sources
- A fire safety schedule specifies each fire safety measure that applies to the building and the minimum standard of performance for each; critical fire safety measures need assessment at intervals of less than 12 months and are identified on the schedule. NSW Department of Planning and Environment, Fire safety statements FAQ (October 2022), checked 25 Sep 2026.
- An annual fire safety statement declares that an accredited practitioner (fire safety) has assessed, inspected and verified the performance of each essential fire safety measure and inspected the exit systems for compliance with Part 15 of the Regulation; the owner must provide a copy to the local council and the Commissioner of Fire and Rescue NSW. NSW Department of Planning and Environment, Fire safety statements FAQ, checked 25 Sep 2026.
- The statement must be in the form approved by the Planning Secretary (version 4 from 1 September 2022); changes such as adding letterheads or logos or adding or removing sections may contravene the Regulation; the declarer must not be an APFS who assessed the measures or their employer, employee or direct associate; an owner may attach a separate signed document from each APFS. NSW Department of Planning and Environment, Fire safety statements FAQ, checked 25 Sep 2026.
- Assessment and inspection dates must be within the 3 months before an annual fire safety statement is issued, and within 1 month before a supplementary statement; each measure lists the APFS accreditation number; the owner displays a copy with the current fire safety schedule in a prominent location in the building. NSW Department of Planning and Environment, Fire safety statement template version 4, checked 25 Sep 2026.
- Accredited practitioners (fire safety) assess the performance of essential fire safety measures for annual and supplementary fire safety statements; the Fire Protection Association Australia runs the main approved accreditation scheme (FPAS). NSW Government, Fire safety practitioners, checked 25 Sep 2026.
- With the ServiceM8 Asset Management add-on, forms can be completed against an asset many times and the Asset Register produces a PDF of all assets for one customer, including form results. ServiceM8 Help Center, checked 25 Sep 2026.