Fire safety is one of those areas that’s often overlooked—until it’s too late. At FyreWise, we’ve seen first-hand how small oversights can lead to big consequences. The good news? Most fire-related risks in buildings can be reduced—or completely avoided—with the right planning, design, and maintenance.

Here are the top 5 fire safety mistakes we regularly come across—and how you can prevent them.

1. Ignoring a Proper Fire Risk Assessment

Mistake: Many building owners skip comprehensive fire risk assessments, relying only on generic safety checklists or outdated reports.

Why It’s Risky: Every building is unique. Without a tailored assessment, hidden risks—like poor escape routes, inadequate ventilation, or outdated detection systems—often go unnoticed.

How to Avoid It: Schedule a professional fire risk assessment at least once every 12 months. At FyreWise, our expert fire engineers based in Brisbane identify hazards, assess compliance, and give you a practical action plan for improvement.

2. Relying Solely on Prescriptive Code Compliance

Mistake: Assuming that meeting the bare minimum building code requirements automatically guarantees maximum safety.

Why It’s Risky: Codes set minimum standards, but in complex or unique structures, these may not address all risks—especially for large-scale commercial, industrial, or high-rise buildings.

How to Avoid It: Consider performance-based fire design, which uses engineering analysis and modelling to create solutions tailored to your building’s design and use. Our fire engineers in Brisbane specialise in performance-based solutions that ensure compliance and enhanced safety.

3. Poor Maintenance of Fire Safety Systems

Mistake: Fire alarms, sprinklers, and suppression systems often go unchecked for years.

Why It’s Risky: Even the best equipment is useless if it fails when you need it most.

How to Avoid It: Set up a preventive maintenance schedule for all fire protection systems. Have them tested regularly by certified professionals—like our expert fire engineers based in Brisbane—to ensure they work when it matters.

4. Overlooking Evacuation Planning and Training

Mistake: Having an evacuation plan on paper but never training occupants to follow it.

Why It’s Risky: In an emergency, panic and confusion can lead to injury or loss of life if people don’t know where to go or what to do.

How to Avoid It: Conduct regular evacuation drills and keep routes clearly marked and free of obstacles. For complex buildings, our fire engineers in Brisbane can use evacuation modelling to design the safest pathways.

5. Failing to Use Advanced Fire Modelling

Mistake: Designing fire safety measures without considering modern simulation tools like Fire Dynamics Simulator (FDS) or thermal modelling.

Why It’s Risky: Without predictive modelling, you may underestimate how fire and smoke will actually behave in your space.

How to Avoid It: Partner with a fire engineering consultancy that uses advanced simulation to predict fire behaviour and refine your design. At FyreWise, our expert fire engineers based in Brisbane use state-of-the-art modelling to create smarter, safer outcomes.

Final Thoughts

Fire safety isn’t just about ticking compliance boxes—it’s about creating an environment where people and property are truly protected.

At FyreWise, our fire engineers in Brisbane combine deep technical expertise, real-world experience, and advanced modelling tools to help you avoid these mistakes entirely. Whether it’s a new build or an existing structure, we can design a solution that meets legal requirements and goes above and beyond to keep people safe.

Top 5 Fire Safety Mistakes and How to Avoid Them