Delhi govt begins process to empanel third party auditors for issuing fire safety certificates

New Delhi, Jul 16 (PTI) Delhi government has started the process for registering third-party auditors for issuing fire safety certificates to the owners and occupiers of buildings and premises at rates ranging from Rs 10,000 to Rs 5 lakh, officers said. The Delhi Fire Service (DFS) of the government, in a notice issued on Thursday, invited applications for registration and empanelment of fire safety auditors (third party) with the DFS principal director. According to the DFS Amendment Rules, 2025, notified by the Home Department last month, there will be three levels (L-1, L-2, L-3) of fire safety auditors based on their qualification and experience. Presently, the DFS issues fire safety certificates in the city. However, the third party auditors are being brought in the backdrop of three major fire tragedies in recent months, including the hotel inferno in Hauz Rani area in South Delhi that claimed 22 lives in June. The professional qualifications required for registration include BE or BTech (Fire Safety), sub-officer course from National Fire Service College, Nagpur, BE, BTech or B Arch in Civil, Mechanical or Electronics or Architecture, PG Diploma in Fire and Life Safety Audit among others. Experience in fire prevention and safety ranging from 1-10 years will also be a mandatory qualification. The L-1 and L-2 level auditors will be authorised to issue fire safety certificates to buildings or occupancies less than 15 metres in height. The highest level of auditors (L-3) will be authorised for all buildings and occupancies, say the Rules. The registration and empanelment of fire safety auditors will be valid for a period of three years. The fee for registration will be Rs 10,000 (L-1), Rs 20,000 (L-2) and Rs 30,000 for L-3. If any non-compliance or deviation from the required fire prevention and fire safety measures or any falsification by the auditor is reported by the fire officers after inspection, they will be issued show-cause notices. The penalty amount will be Rs 2 lakh (L-1), Rs 5 lakh (L-2) and Rs 10 lakh (L-3) in case of violation by the auditors. They will also be liable to be blacklisted and deregistered from the DFS panel without issuance of any further notice, if penalty remains unpaid. According to the DFS Amendment Rules, 2025, the owner or occupier of a building or premises will engage a fire safety auditor from the empanelled list on the DFS portal. The engaged auditor will conduct a thorough inspection of the premises or building or occupancy, including fire prevention and fire safety measures, and submit a detailed inspection report and issue a fire safety certificate and declaration to the owner or occupier. The auditors will be permitted to charge the owner or occupier of a building or premises for the services provided by them. The fees will range from Rs 10,000-Rs 50,000 in case of L-1 auditors, Rs 35,000-Rs 90,000 L-2 auditors, and Rs 63,000-Rs 5 lakh L-3 auditors. The charges will be determined by the auditor based on the height of building, covered area, occupancy classification, and complexity of fire prevention and fire safety systems, strictly within the prescribed minimum and the maximum limits. Importantly, issuance of a fire safety certificate by the auditor will not absolve the owner or occupier of primary responsibility for maintaining measures of fire prevention and safety. Also, the DFS will not be liable for any loss or damage arising out of certification issued by a fire safety auditor, except where mala fide or gross negligence is attributable to fire service officers, say the Rules. The fire officers of DFS will randomly inspect at least 5 per cent of the fire safety certificates issued by the auditors in a quarter. The empanelled auditors will be trained at Fire Safety Management Academy, Rohini, for three days (L-1), five days (L-2) and seven days (L-3). PTI VIT VIT AMJ AMJ