Is a fire logbook a legal requirement?

The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 does not name a logbook. It does require the Responsible Person to take general fire precautions and keep relevant records. A logbook — paper or digital — is how most hospitality venues demonstrate that. See RRO 2005 records for the Responsible Person.

Will a fire officer accept a digital logbook?

Fire and rescue authorities need records that are complete, dated, and accessible. Timestamped logs with a name on the line are often easier to review than a binder filled in at month-end. No software is fire-authority approved.

Is this the same as the site diary / Log Book?

No. This page is fire records. Challenge 25, incidents, and visitor sign-in live on Log Book. Ranking those jobs as a fire logbook would mix two duties.

Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005

What is a digital fire safety logbook for UK hospitality?

Q: What is a digital fire safety logbook?

It is the same fire records most venues keep on paper — weekly alarm tests, extinguishers, emergency lighting, fire doors, training, and drills — stored electronically with a date and a name on the line. Fire officers need records that are complete, dated, and accessible. We do not claim a regulator endorsement.

Q: How much is System Hub Fire Safety?

14-day trial, no card. Then £5/week per location via Stripe. Cancel anytime.

A digital fire safety logbook is the Responsible Person’s fire records kept electronically instead of in a binder: weekly alarm tests, extinguishers, emergency lighting, training, and drills, with a timestamp and a name on the line. The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 does not name a logbook. It does require you to prove precautions were taken.

Last reviewed: 21 September 2026. Written by Oriel Technology Ltd.

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What a digital fire logbook is

A digital fire logbook is the hospitality fire file kept electronically: tests, maintenance, training, and drills, with frequencies and a name on the line. It is not a different fire safety system. It is the binder without the catch-up at the end of the week.

This page is the fire logbook. The operational site diary — Challenge 25, incidents, visitors — lives on Log Book.

What the law actually requires

Under the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 (England and Wales), the Responsible Person must take general fire precautions. GOV.UK explains the duties in workplace fire safety. Scotland and Northern Ireland have equivalent legislation. The Order does not say “keep a red binder”.

Read RRO 2005 records for the Responsible Person for duties, not software.

What a hospitality logbook usually contains

Weekly fire alarm tests and activation records
Extinguisher, blanket, and hose-reel inspections
Emergency lighting monthly tests
Fire door and means-of-escape checks
Staff training and evacuation drills
Service engineer and fire officer visit records

Extinguishers, lighting, and drills belong in this logbook. They do not each need a thin extra URL.

Paper vs digital fire records

Paper is legal. It fails when tests are written up at month-end, names are missing, or the binder cannot be found when the insurer asks.

	Paper binder	Digital fire logbook
Legal in the UK?	Yes, if complete	Yes, if complete, dated, and accessible
Named in RRO 2005?	No	No — same duty either way
Weekly alarm test	Often caught up later	Attributed at the time of the test
Find a date for an insurer	Flip the binder	Filter the log
Best for	Quiet sites that never lose the book	Busy venues where the binder waited until month-end

Bottom line: Format is not the test. Completeness, dates, and access are. We do not claim a regulator endorsement.

Frequencies most venues follow

British Standard BS 5839-1 is the usual code of practice for a weekly fire alarm test (a different manual call point each week). The RRO requires maintenance. It does not print a weekly form. Emergency lighting is commonly tested monthly. Extinguishers get a regular visual check plus a competent person’s service. Drills are recorded when you run them. Follow your fire risk assessment, not a generic app calendar, if the two differ.

How System Hub Fire Safety maps to the binder

Weekly alarm tests, equipment, emergency lighting, building and escape, training and drills — timestamped, with frequencies. Same login as Food Safety. 14-day trial, no card, then £5/week per location via Stripe. Cancel anytime.

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