Fire safety is the single most critical compliance area for aged care facilities. The combination of vulnerable occupants, complex building layouts and 24-hour occupation demands a fire safety strategy that goes well beyond standard commercial or residential requirements.
Aged care residents often have limited mobility, cognitive impairment or both. Many cannot self-evacuate. This fundamentally changes how fire safety must be approached — from the fire resistance of structural elements through to the evacuation strategy and the design of smoke compartments.
The NCC recognises this through specific provisions for Class 9c buildings, and the 2025 edition introduces further refinements to sprinkler requirements, smoke detection and compartmentation for aged care occupancies.
FRL requirements for aged care facilities are determined by building classification, rise in storeys and type of construction. Class 9c buildings typically require higher FRLs than equivalent Class 5 or 6 buildings, reflecting the extended evacuation times associated with aged care occupants.
Key FRL considerations include:
All Class 9c buildings require sprinkler protection under the NCC. The sprinkler system must comply with AS 2118.1 and be designed to account for the specific fire risks of aged care environments, including resident rooms with soft furnishings, oxygen equipment, and limited occupant response times.
NCC 2025 reinforces the requirement for sprinkler protection in aged care and clarifies the interaction between sprinkler coverage and other fire safety provisions, including concessions available where sprinklers are installed.
The evacuation strategy for aged care facilities typically relies on horizontal evacuation — moving residents to an adjacent smoke compartment rather than evacuating the entire building. This approach recognises that vertical evacuation via stairs is impractical for many aged care residents.
Smoke compartment design must account for:
Fire safety compliance in aged care requires coordination between the fire engineer, BCA consultant, building certifier and the facility operator. The fire safety strategy must be developed early and integrated into the architectural design — not treated as an add-on during documentation.
Absolute Approvals provides building certification and BCA consultancy for aged care projects, with deep experience in NCC fire safety provisions for Class 9c and 9a buildings.
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