Changes to passive fire licences

Key changes for transitioned licensees:

Certify licence class 

• Fire protection work now includes the installation and maintenance of fire walls. 
• Two former ‘certify’ classes are continuing classes of licence with no change to the existing scope of work, that is:
  • ‘certify – fire and smoke walls and ceilings’
  • ‘certify – fire doors and shutters’.
• The  ‘certify – fire collars, penetrations and joint sealing’ licence class which formerly comprised certify, install, maintain and ‘inspect and test’ work has become a continuing class of licence with no change to the scope of work.  
• Classes that became continuing classes of licence cannot be issued or restored after 1 May 2021.
• From 1 May 2021 a new licence class is available for this work: ‘certify – fire doors, fire shutters, fire dampers, fire collars, fire-rated penetrations, fire-rated joint sealing, fire and smoke walls and fire-rated ceilings’.

Install and maintain licence class 

Newly regulated fire protection work – install and maintain fire walls

• A new ‘install and maintain’ class has been introduced for fire and smoke walls and fire-rated ceilings to reflect the expansion of fire protection work. 
• As fire protection work, builders need to hold separate licence classes to continue performing this work in the future. The new licence classes include: 
  • ‘install and maintain – fire collars, fire rated penetrations and fire-rated joint sealings’
  • ‘install and maintain – fire and smoke walls and fire-rated ceilings’. 
• To allow builders time to obtain the additional licence classes, amendments have been made to the scope of work of ‘builder’ licence classes to enable them to continue performing the following work until 2 May 2025. 
• Trade contractors who currently install or maintain fire and smoke walls or fire-rated ceilings under their current scope of work may continue to do so. However, their workers (including nominee supervisors) will require a licence in the future to continue performing this work.  
• A nominee supervisor’s licence authorises the supervision of work only. It does not authorise the performance of work. From 1 May 2021, to continue performing occupationally licensed fire protection work, nominees must hold either:
  • a contractor’s licence (removing the need to hold a nominee supervisor’s licence) OR
  • fire protection occupational licence (in addition to the nominee supervisor’s licence). 
• Workers who currently perform this work for a licensed contractor may continue to do so for a licensed contractor until 1 May 2025. However, new workers will need a licence from 1 May 2021.   

Install and maintain licence class – transitioned fire protection work 

• A new fire protection licence class has been added for fire doors and shutters and is offered in addition to former licensing options and exemptions. 
• Carpenters and joiners who currently perform this work may continue to do so under their existing licence (noting that nominee supervisor’s licences are restricted to supervision only).  
• Workers may perform newly regulated passive fire protection work (install and maintain fire and smokes walls, fire collars, fire-rated penetrations and fire-rated joint sealings) for a licensed contractor up until 1 May 2025. Employees of an appropriately QBCC licensed contractor may install and maintain a fire door or shutter without a licence provided that the employee holds a prescribed carpentry qualification (see Schedule 4 of the QBCC Regulation). 
• A new class for ‘install and maintain – fire collars, fire-rated penetrations and fire-rated joint sealing’ has been introduced. Licensees who hold the current ‘fire collars, penetrations and joint sealing’ class will retain the class from 1 May 2021 as a continuing class of licence.

Inspect and test licence class

• The ‘fire doors and shutters - inspect and test’ class automatically transitioned (no upskilling requirements) to the new ‘passive stream – inspect and test’ class.
• The new class has a broader scope of work, including: inspecting and testing fire dampers, fire collars, fire-rated penetrations, fire-rated joint sealing, fire and smoke walls and fire-rated ceilings.

Former licence classes that have transitioned:

• Passive fire protection – fire and smoke walls and ceilings PI*
• Passive fire protection – fire and smoke walls and ceilings – occupational
• Passive fire protection – fire collars, penetrations and joint sealing PI*
• Passive fire protection – fire collars, penetrations and joint sealing – occupational
• Passive fire protection – fire doors and shutters PI*
• Passive fire protection – fire doors and shutters – occupational