Fire protection documentation is an agenda in many companies that “just sort of exists.” A binder left by the previous managing director, a fire safety order from the time when the hall was used for completely different production, and alarm directives with the phone number of an employee who left three years ago. It works exactly until the moment a fire inspection, an insurance audit, or the first real emergency occurs.
Yet the basic logic is clear. Act No. 133/1985 Coll., on Fire Protection, divides conducted activities into three categories based on fire hazard (§ 4) — and it is this categorization that determines whether and to what extent a company must prepare the prescribed fire protection documentation (§ 15). The second common question, who is actually authorized to write it, also has a clear answer: the law entrusts professional tasks in fire protection to qualified persons — a qualified fire protection specialist, and for many activities also a fire protection technician. Let’s go through it step by step.
First, categorization: which category your activity falls into
You can’t discuss documentation without categorization. The categories according to § 4 of the Fire Protection Act are three:
| Category | Typical operation | What this means for documentation |
|---|---|---|
| Without increased fire hazard | smaller administrative offices, minor services | prescribed fire protection documentation is not prepared; general prevention duties remain |
| With increased fire hazard | most manufacturing, warehouses and workshops, buildings for commerce, accommodation or assembly of persons | mandatory fire protection documentation, regular training, preventive inspections |
| With high fire hazard | large quantities of flammable substances, selected high-rise buildings, operations with explosion hazards | the strictest regime, including a fire hazard assessment approved by the state fire supervision authority |
The criteria for categorization are factual (§ 4 para. 2): the quantity and type of flammable substances and gases, combustible dust, fire load, number of above-ground floors, or building type. It is therefore not decided by the simple number of employees or how the company perceives itself — an office company that has added a warehouse with flammable liquids or a charging room full of lithium batteries to its administration may factually fall somewhere other than it thinks. Categorization is the company’s responsibility; in case of doubt, the state fire supervision authority decides (§ 4 para. 5). We discuss the broader context of categories, deadlines, and inspections in the overview article on fire protection in a company.
An important detail: the categorization itself is also the first document. Documentation on the categorization of activities is the initial item of fire protection documentation — and everything else derives from it.
When a company needs fire protection documentation
The obligation to prepare the prescribed fire protection documentation, to fulfill the conditions set within it, and to keep it in accordance with the actual state is imposed by § 15 of the Act on companies conducting activities with increased and high fire hazard.
A company whose activities fall into the category without increased fire hazard does not prepare the prescribed fire protection documentation. However, even there it is not reasonable to have a complete void: a written categorization is the simplest way to document during an inspection why more extensive obligations do not apply to you. And general obligations — functional fire extinguishers, clear escape routes, inspection records — apply regardless of the category.
In rented premises, also clarify in advance who manages which part of the agenda. The law anticipates that in places used by multiple entities together, obligations are primarily fulfilled by the owner, unless the contract specifies otherwise — in practice, however, the division of responsibility between the landlord and the tenant is exactly the place where the documentation belongs “to no one.”
Which documents are typically kept
The types of fire protection documentation are listed by the implementing decree on fire prevention (Decree No. 246/2001 Coll.). A complete set looks like this:
| Document | Its purpose |
|---|---|
| Documentation on the categorization of activities | proof of which category activities fall into and why |
| Fire hazard assessment | only for high fire hazard; approved by the state fire supervision authority |
| Determination of the organization of fire protection provision | who is responsible for what in fire protection within the company |
| Fire safety order | fire safety conditions for the specific conducted activity |
| Fire alarm directives | concise procedure in case of fire; posted in visible locations |
| Fire evacuation plan | organization of evacuation and graphical representation of escape routes |
| Firefighting documentation | basis for fire protection units’ intervention in more complex buildings |
| Fire reporting station rules | if a reporting station is established |
| Thematic plan and time schedule of training | curriculum for employee training and professional preparation |
| Documentation of completed training and professional preparation | records proving who, when, and to what extent was trained |
| Fire logbook | ongoing records: preventive inspections, defects and their removal, incidents |
The key word is “typically”: only a few companies keep absolutely everything. The scope depends on the categorization and the conditions of the specific operation — a regular company with increased fire hazard usually works with categorization documentation, a fire safety order, alarm directives, training documentation, and a fire logbook; the fire hazard assessment applies only to high hazard and firefighting documentation to more complex buildings.
Documentation is also accompanied by records proving the fulfillment of obligations: primarily records of inspections of fire extinguishers and fire safety equipment. What a usable record of an annual inspection should look like and what to request from the service provider is discussed in the article on fire extinguisher inspection in a company. The decree does not prohibit electronic documentation; for the fire logbook, it is practical if records can be printed and signed upon request.
Who can prepare the documentation: a qualified fire protection specialist or a fire protection technician
This is where most companies make the same mistake: they download a template from the internet, fill in the company name, and consider the matter settled. However, the law entrusts professional tasks in fire protection to qualified persons (§ 11) and a document without a link to the actual operation will not hold up in practice — the discrepancy between paper and operation is usually the first thing addressed during an inspection.
There are three roles:
- Qualified fire protection specialist (OZO) — the highest qualification, proven by a professional competence exam, or education in the field of fire protection. Has the broadest authority; only they can prepare a fire hazard assessment for activities with high fire hazard.
- Fire protection technician — qualification proven by an exam. Performs professional tasks primarily for activities with increased fire hazard; the implementing decree on fire prevention entrusts the preparation and maintenance of prescribed documentation precisely to a qualified fire protection specialist or a fire protection technician.
- Fire prevention officer — a trained employee. Typically performs preventive fire inspections and makes entries in the fire logbook; however, they do not prepare the prescribed documentation.
Qualifications overlap downwards: a qualified fire protection specialist can also perform the activities of a technician and a prevention officer, and a technician the activity of a prevention officer.
It is important not to be lulled into a false sense of security because the documentation was signed by “someone with a stamp.” Responsibility for fire protection remains with the company — according to the implementing decree, documentation is approved by the statutory body, or the self-employed individual, and the company is also responsible for ensuring the content corresponds to the actual operation. A quality preparer therefore starts with an inspection of the operation and questions, not by sending a template for signature.
If you do not have anyone with professional competence in the company, you do not have to employ them: a common model is external provision. At SOHE, we prepare fire protection documentation as part of our fire protection service for companies — from categorization assessment through documents tailored to the operation to setting training and inspection deadlines.
How often documentation is updated
None of the documents is “once and for all.” The law requires keeping documentation in accordance with the actual state (§ 15) — this is an ongoing obligation, not a one-time task. The implementing decree on fire prevention furthermore presumes that a documentation check is carried out at least once a year and after every fire or after any change that affected its content.
In practice, it is more useful to watch for triggers of change rather than the calendar:
- relocation or rental of new premises,
- change in technology, product range, or storage method (typically new flammable materials, battery charging, a new paint shop or welding workshop),
- construction modifications and layout changes that alter escape routes,
- personnel changes — departure of a prevention officer, change in fire prevention patrol members, new contacts in alarm directives,
- an increase in operations, due to which the activity factually grows into a higher category,
- conclusions from a fire inspection or an internal check.
Related to documentation is the regularity of training: for activities with increased and high fire hazard, employee fire protection training is repeated at least once every 2 years, for managers at least once every 3 years — and records of it belong in the fire protection documentation. The sister agenda of occupational safety has a similar rhythm; how both binders relate is described in the article on OSH documentation for a company.
Common deficiencies encountered in practice
From what is typically addressed during inspections and audits, several situations recur:
- the documentation is a copied template — formally correct, but describes a different operation, a different address, or non-existent technology,
- approvals and signatures are missing, or it is not clear to which date and operation the document relates,
- alarm directives are posted on a bulletin board with phone numbers that have been invalid for years,
- a fire logbook exists, but the last entry is two years old,
- the categorization does not correspond to the actual activity — a company “on paper an office” is now operating a warehouse,
- after reconstruction or a layout change, the documentation and evacuation plan remained unchanged.
None of these situations is difficult to fix — if it is discovered during your own documentation review, and not at the moment an inspection or insurance adjuster wants to see it.
What the article is based on
- Fire protection – SOHE service for companies: categorization, fire protection documentation, training and deadlines.
- Fire protection in a company: what documentation, inspections, and deadlines await you – overview of categories, inspection deadlines, and sanctions under § 76 of the Act.
- Fire extinguisher inspection in a company – inspection records stored alongside fire protection documentation.
- OSH documentation for a company – the sister agenda of occupational safety and how to manage it together with fire protection.
- Act No. 133/1985 Coll. – Act on Fire Protection; especially § 4 (categories of activities), § 15 (fire protection documentation), § 6a (fire hazard assessment) and § 11 (professional competence).
- Decree No. 246/2001 Coll. – Decree on fire prevention; types of fire protection documentation, the method of its maintenance, and training deadlines.
The legal status is based on regulations verified in the SOHE register as of 21 July 2026; Decree No. 246/2001 Coll. is used in the version effective from 1 January 2026 after amendment No. 467/2025 Coll.
The text is for informational purposes only and does not replace a legal opinion or an assessment of a specific operation. The scope of fire protection documentation must always be set according to the actual categorization of activities, the conditions of the building, and a risk assessment.
Do you not know which category your activities fall into, or do you suspect that the binder of fire protection documentation does not correspond to today’s operation? We will go through it with you — from categorization to documents that will hold up during an inspection. Send us a non-binding inquiry or email info@sohe.cz and we will agree on the scope according to your operation.