Fire safety documentation in practice: How to keep track of all your records
Fire protection is one of the most sensitive and highly regulated topics in construction. Hardly any other area is so relevant to liability and at the same time so prone to errors in daily documentation.
Whether in new buildings, existing buildings, or renovations: fire protection measures must not only be implemented, but also fully documented in a verifiable manner.
If this proof is missing or incomplete, there is a risk of delays, additional costs, conflicts with authorities—and, in the worst case, criminal consequences.
Why fire safety documentation is essential
In fire protection, the following applies: A measure without documentation is often considered not to have been implemented.
Regulations, standards, and authorities require that all relevant steps be recorded in a traceable manner—from planning and execution to the ongoing operation of a building.
A distinction is made between two areas:
1. One-time documents during planning and construction
- Fire protection concept & fire protection certification
- Compliance and usability certificates
- Test reports, acceptance reports
- Technical documentation for systems (e.g., smoke and heat exhaust ventilation, fire alarm system)
2. Ongoing documentation during operation and construction phase
- regular fire safety inspections
- Maintenance & Inspections
- Documentation of defects & deviations
- Tracking deadlines
- Training & Instruction
- •Changes to usage, fire compartments, or escape routes
Ongoing documentation is particularly challenging in practice: many people involved, many trades, many photos, little time.
Why fire safety documentation fails in practice
Despite clear guidelines, many companies struggle with the same problems:
1. Photos and notes are scattered
Cell phone photos, emails, Excel lists, paper folders—nothing is centralized, and a lot gets lost.
2. The exact location of a defect is missing
Without a clear position in the plan, you often have to search again during the next inspection.
3. Recurring inspections are difficult to track
What was determined six months ago?
Has that been fixed?
Does it need to be reviewed again?
Many companies do not have a clean history in this regard.
4. Minutes are time-consuming
Sorting photos, compiling comments, formatting reports—often hours of work.
5. Specialized software is often too complicated.
Many fire protection tools offer countless modules, settings, and specialized functions.
The result: no one uses them properly.
Teams fall back on Excel, Word, or WhatsApp—and documentation suffers.
A simple alternative: document fire protection with a construction documentation app
Not every company needs an overloaded specialized solution.
For many, an easy-to-use, mobile, audit-proof documentation platform that does exactly what they need in everyday life is sufficient:
- Record defects
- take pictures
- Set position in plan
- Assign responsible persons
- Define deadlines
- Create logs
- Prove history
This is precisely what docu tools does—opening up a completely new approach to fire protection documentation.
Practical example: A fire protection company documents every official six-month inspection with docu tools.
One of our client companies conducts official fire safety inspections on ongoing construction sites twice a year. It uses docu tools exclusively for this purpose—without any additional fire safety software. And this works perfectly because the company has built its own streamlined system.
The categories used:
- Note
- Conceptual change
- deficiency
- project memo
- examine
- Internal consultation
- Overview
- Available
These categories are not specific to fire safety, but they cover the entire inspection workflow:
- Deficiency → fire safety-related deviation
- check → recurring checks
- Note → minor abnormalities
- Internal consultation → Clarification with general contractor/subcontractor
- Available → Proof of correctly implemented measure
- Overview → Meta pins for entire areas/fire compartments
No complicated modules, no training days, no crowded menus—just clear, mobile construction documentation.
This is how a fire safety inspection with docu tools works
1. Open plan – Start inspection
The examiner uses a smartphone or tablet (iOS, Android), which is fully offline-capable.
2. Set pin – Categorize findings
Click on the plan: Set pin, select category (e.g., iron or check).
3. Add photos & notes
Recorded directly on site – everything automatically stored in the correct PIN.
4. Create tasks
If necessary, each finding is converted into a task with:
• Responsible person
• Due date
• Priority
5. Documentation with 360° photos (optional)
For room conditions or fire compartments, 360° photos can also be created – significantly faster than tours using Holobuilder or OpenSpace, making them ideal as an interim solution.
6. Export logs immediately
Thanks to Word templates, companies can:
• Fire safety inspection reports
• Defect reports
• Evidence of fire compartments
Create directly—including on-site signature on tablet or smartphone.
7. Reuse history at the next appointment
During each subsequent 6-month inspection, the inspector immediately sees:
• what has already been done
• what needs to be re-examined
• what is still open
This creates audit-proof, complete documentation —without any additional effort.
Why companies use docu tools instead of specialized software
1. Easy to use
No months of training. Most users are productive within minutes.
2. Built for the construction site
Tablet & smartphone, offline-capable, fast, and robust.
3. Do not overload
No 50 fire protection modules, no unnecessary settings.
4. Extremely flexible
Each company can define categories, workflows, and reports itself.
5. One system for everything
Instead of "fire protection software + building documentation + defect management," a single tool is used.
6. Audit-proof
Nothing can be deleted, every change is traceable—crucial for authorities, clients, and insurance companies.
Conclusion: Fire safety documentation does not have to be complicated
The market clearly shows that many companies are struggling with overly complex solutions or no system at all.
Fire safety documentation can be very simple —if you choose a tool that:
- works on mobile devices,
- works offline,
- Photos & pins neatly organized,
- Clearly displays tasks and deadlines,
- Logs created automatically,
- and provides a complete history.
It is precisely this combination that makes docu tools so valuable for fire protection companies, construction managers, general contractors, operators, and testing organizations.
If you want to document fire safety in a practical, quick, and clean way—without special software—docu tools is the ideal solution.
👉Contact us at sales@docu-tools.com for more information.