Ireland's New Fire Safety Regulations - What Changed in 2025
Author
Paddy McDonnell
Date Published
The Building Regulations (Part B Amendment) 2024 and the Building Control (Amendment) Regulations 2025 represent the most significant changes to fire safety regulation in Ireland in over a decade. Effective from 1 May 2025, these amendments affect fire safety professionals, architects, building control officers, and anyone involved in the design, construction, or management of buildings.
What Changed
The amendments to Technical Guidance Document B (TGD B) introduced sweeping changes across several areas. These are not minor tweaks - they redefine thresholds, introduce new building categories, and require fundamental changes to how fire safety is approached in certain building types.
Expanded Fire Safety Certificate Requirements
The Building Control (Amendment) Regulations 2025 significantly expanded the scope of works requiring a Fire Safety Certificate. Key changes include:
Industrial buildings over 500 square metres now require a Fire Safety Certificate (previously only storage buildings at this threshold)
The threshold for storage buildings has been reduced from 500 to 280 square metres
Material alterations involving the subdivision of a building or the addition of floor area now trigger the requirement
New requirements apply where a change of use results in a building falling into a more onerous purpose group
Care Facility Buildings - A New Category
The regulations introduce a formal definition of Care Facility Buildings, covering hospitals, nursing homes, residential care facilities, and certain educational buildings. This category carries specific requirements:
Mandatory sprinkler systems in multi-storey care facilities - a significant new requirement that will affect both new builds and major refurbishments
Enhanced compartmentation standards reflecting the vulnerability of occupants who may be unable to evacuate independently
Stricter requirements for means of escape design, recognising that progressive horizontal evacuation is the primary strategy in these settings
The Euroclass Transition
Ireland has formally adopted the BS EN 13501 Euroclass fire rating system for all new construction. The legacy system of national fire ratings is being phased out with the following transitional arrangements:
Reaction to fire classifications: 6-month grace period from 1 May 2025 for projects already in the system
Fire resistance classifications: 5-year transition period, allowing either the legacy or Euroclass system during this window
All new Fire Safety Certificate applications from 1 November 2025 must use Euroclass reaction to fire ratings
This transition means that fire safety professionals must be fluent in both systems during the changeover period and must ensure that product specifications, fire strategies, and fire safety certificates reference the correct classification framework.
B12 - Provision of Information
A significant new requirement under Section B12 obliges contractors and designers to supply comprehensive fire safety system information to building owners at project completion. This includes details of fire detection and alarm systems, emergency lighting, fire suppression, compartmentation, and passive fire protection measures. The intention is to ensure that building owners receive a complete handover package enabling proper maintenance and management of fire safety systems throughout the building's life.
Facade Fire Performance
In the wake of high-profile international incidents, TGD B 2024 introduces new requirements for external wall and facade fire performance. These provisions require designers to consider the reaction to fire performance of external wall systems, cladding, and insulation in a more rigorous way than the previous guidance required. Buildings above 18 metres in height face the most stringent requirements, but the principles apply across all building types.
What Professionals Should Do Now
For fire safety professionals, these changes create both obligations and opportunities:
Review your knowledge of the Euroclass system if you have been working primarily with legacy Irish fire ratings
Understand the expanded Fire Safety Certificate thresholds - projects that previously did not require a certificate may now need one
For those advising nursing homes and healthcare facilities, familiarise yourself with the new Care Facility Buildings requirements and mandatory sprinkler provisions
Update fire safety management plans for existing buildings to account for B12 information requirements on any upcoming refurbishment or alteration projects
Engage in CPD specifically targeting the TGD B 2024 amendments - this is not optional knowledge for anyone practising in fire safety
The Role of Professional Bodies
Regulatory changes of this magnitude are precisely why membership of a professional body matters. The IIESMS Fire Safety Group provides members with timely briefings on regulatory developments, CPD events focused on practical implementation of new requirements, and a professional community for discussing the challenges these changes present.
If you are a fire safety professional and want to ensure you are fully current with the 2025 regulatory changes, explore IIESMS membership and join a body that keeps its members ahead of the curve.
Sources and Further Reading
S.I. No. 293 of 2024 - Building Regulations Part B Amendment
BS EN 13501 Fire Classification of Construction Products
Department of Housing - Building Regulations Technical Guidance