AS 1851 vs AS 3745 in Australia: Service vs Emergency Planning

A common point of confusion across Australian building managers: the AS 1851 service contract that covers the extinguishers, hose reels, and alarm panels is often assumed to cover the evacuation diagrams as well. It does not. AS 1851 and AS 3745 are different standards, with different scopes, different obligated parties, and different audit trails.

This guide is the buyer-stage clarification: what each standard covers, where they overlap, the questions that surface the confusion in real audits, and how to commission both without paying twice for either.

What AS 1851 covers

AS 1851 is the Routine service of fire protection systems and equipment standard. Its scope is the maintenance schedule for the physical equipment installed in a building: fire extinguishers, fire hose reels, hydrants, sprinkler systems, fire alarm panels, smoke detectors, fire pumps, fire blankets, fire doors, emergency and exit lighting, fire-rated penetrations.

Each item type has a defined service frequency in the standard. Extinguishers get a six-monthly inspection, a yearly maintenance, and a longer-cycle pressure test. Sprinkler systems have monthly checks, six-monthly tests, yearly tests, and five-yearly inspections. Alarm panels have monthly tests of indicators and yearly full system tests.

AS 1851 is performed by accredited service technicians. The output is a logbook entry per item, per visit, signed by the technician. The logbook is the audit trail. The physical equipment carries service tags showing the last service date and the next due date.

What AS 3745 covers

AS 3745 is the Planning for Emergencies in Facilities standard. Its scope is the human and procedural side: the Emergency Planning Committee, the emergency plan, the wardens, the evacuation diagrams, the assembly areas, and the procedures for fire, bomb threat, hazardous material spill, and other emergency types.

AS 3745 is not performed by a service technician. It is owned by the facility manager or building owner, supported by an Emergency Planning Committee (EPC) made up of people who actually know the building and its occupants. The diagrams are produced by a competent person. Drills are run by the chief warden. Procedures are reviewed by the EPC.

AS 3745 audit trail looks different from AS 1851. There is no monthly logbook. Instead the audit trail consists of: the documented emergency plan, the diagram register with revision dates, the warden training records, the drill records, the EPC meeting minutes.

Where they overlap

The two standards share one anchor point: the physical equipment AS 1851 services is the same equipment AS 3745 evacuation diagrams must show. An extinguisher serviced under AS 1851 appears as an extinguisher symbol on the diagram. A hose reel tested under AS 1851 appears as a hose reel symbol. A manual call point inspected under AS 1851 appears as a call point on the diagram.

When equipment is moved, removed, or added, both standards are affected. AS 1851 moves the service tag and updates the asset register. AS 3745 requires the diagram to be re-issued so the new equipment location appears, and the old location is removed. The two updates are usually performed by different parties at different times. That gap is where most diagram drift accumulates.

Where they do not overlap

AS 1851 does not require evacuation diagrams to exist. An AS 1851 service technician inspecting an extinguisher will not flag a missing diagram on the wall as an AS 1851 finding. Their scope is the equipment, not the wayfinding documentation around it.

Conversely, AS 3745 does not require fire equipment to be serviced. A diagram that shows an extinguisher in the right location is compliant with AS 3745 even if that extinguisher is overdue for service under AS 1851. An EPC reviewing the emergency plan does not check service tags as part of AS 3745 compliance.

The two standards are complementary, not substitutes. A building can be fully AS 1851 compliant (every piece of equipment serviced on schedule, logbook current) and fail AS 3745 (no evacuation plan, no diagrams, no warden training). The reverse is also true: a building can have a strong AS 3745 setup (current diagrams, trained wardens, recent drill) and fail AS 1851 (overdue extinguisher service, expired alarm panel test).

Three questions that surface the confusion in audits

A few diagnostic questions that reliably separate AS 1851 obligations from AS 3745 obligations in the field. If a building cannot answer these clearly, the scope confusion is present.

• Who issued your evacuation diagrams, and when? AS 1851 service contractors typically do not produce diagrams. If the answer is "the same firm who services the extinguishers," the diagrams may be generic templates or out of date.
• When did your wardens last run a drill? AS 1851 contractors do not run drills. If the answer is "I think the fire safety auditor came last year," that is the AFSS or ESM annual check, not an AS 3745 drill.
• What is the date on the bottom right of your diagram? AS 3745 expects diagrams to carry a creation or last-review date. If the date is more than five years old, or if there is no date, the diagram is not AS 3745 current regardless of what the AS 1851 logbook says.

Each question is short, but answering them honestly often reveals that the AS 1851 program has been treated as the entire fire safety program, with AS 3745 quietly slipping. The fix is to recognise the two standards as separate scopes, with separate owners and separate review cycles.

The "our service contractor handles it" misconception

A common pattern: a building owner is asked about evacuation diagrams during an annual fire safety statement review or an insurance audit. The answer is "our fire equipment service contractor handles all our fire safety." The auditor then asks for the diagrams and the EPC minutes, and neither exists.

The misconception runs in one direction more than the other. People assume AS 1851 covers AS 3745 because AS 1851 is the more visible, more recurring contract. There is a service van on site every quarter. The diagrams, by contrast, are silent until they fail. Five-year-old diagrams continue to hang on the wall. Nobody mentions them in a service visit because they are out of scope.

The reverse misconception (assuming AS 3745 covers AS 1851) is much rarer. People who understand AS 3745 well enough to commission an emergency plan usually understand it does not extend to equipment maintenance.

How to commission both without paying twice

A workable rhythm for buildings that need both standards in good shape:

• AS 1851 service contract on a recurring schedule (monthly or quarterly visits depending on equipment mix). One contractor for routine service. Logbook updated each visit, asset register reconciled annually.
• AS 3745 emergency plan owned by the facility manager. EPC meets quarterly. Diagram register reviewed at each EPC meeting. Drill schedule documented (annual minimum, more often for high-risk facilities).
• When AS 1851 contractor moves or replaces equipment, they raise a flag to the EPC (a single line in the service report is enough). EPC adds the diagram update to the next agenda. Diagram is re-issued through a competent person, not the service contractor.
• When AS 3745 EPC re-issues diagrams, the new diagrams reference the current AS 1851 asset register. No equipment appears on the diagram that does not exist in the asset register. No equipment in the asset register goes missing from the diagram.
• Annual cross-check at the AFSS or ESM review. Inspector checks both: AS 1851 logbook current and complete, AS 3745 plan + diagrams + drill records current and complete.

The cost discipline is straightforward. AS 1851 is a recurring service spend, usually quoted per item per service interval. AS 3745 has two parts: a one-off (or after-change) production cost for the diagrams and the emergency plan, and an internal time cost for the EPC and wardens. Neither standard charges for the other. Pay each contractor for what they actually do.

Where the two standards meet other Australian regulations

AS 1851 and AS 3745 are technical standards, but they sit inside a broader Australian compliance framework. The National Construction Code (NCC) sets the design and construction baseline for fire safety. State-level annual statements (AFSS in NSW, ESM in VIC, equivalent in other states) require building owners to certify that essential safety measures, including AS 1851 service and AS 3745 emergency planning, are in place and current.

A typical AFSS in NSW requires a Competent Fire Safety Practitioner to assess each Essential Fire Safety Measure listed for the building. The list includes both physical measures (extinguishers, sprinklers, alarms) and procedural measures (emergency plan, evacuation diagrams). The AS 1851 logbook is evidence for the physical measures. The AS 3745 plan and diagram register is evidence for the procedural measures. Both must be supplied.

Insurance audits follow a similar pattern. After an incident, insurers commonly request both the AS 1851 service records and the AS 3745 emergency plan. A gap on either side weakens the claim.

Sector-specific overlays to be aware of

Some sectors layer additional requirements on top of AS 1851 and AS 3745. A few that often surface during diagram commissioning:

• Healthcare and aged care: in addition to AS 3745, facilities are subject to Aged Care Quality Standards or hospital accreditation requirements that go deeper on emergency planning and resident-specific procedures.
• NDIS-funded accommodation: NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission expects PEEPs and emergency plans for participants in addition to AS 3745.
• Education: schools and early learning operate under state education department policies plus the National Quality Standard for early learning, both of which interact with AS 3745.
• Hazardous storage: dangerous goods regulations and AS 5026 (warehouse storage of dangerous goods) layer on top, requiring diagrams to show containment, eyewash stations, and chemical-specific response procedures.
• Heritage buildings: state heritage authorities may restrict where diagrams can be mounted, what fixings can be used, and how visible signage can be installed.

Sector-specific guides on this site cover each in more depth: aged care facilities, hospitals and healthcare, PEEP development, NDIS SDA accommodation, schools and universities, childcare centres, warehouses, factories and manufacturing, and heritage-listed buildings.

Action checklist

A short list to run through the next time the AS 1851 vs AS 3745 question comes up in your building:

• Confirm you have a current AS 1851 service contract (logbook updated within the last service interval).
• Confirm you have an Emergency Planning Committee, even if informal. AS 3745 expects one.
• Confirm your evacuation diagrams carry a date within the last five years and reflect the current building layout.
• Confirm warden training is current (typically annual refresher).
• Confirm you have run an evacuation drill within the last 12 months and documented it.
• When AS 1851 service moves equipment, flag the change to the EPC for diagram update.
• When AS 3745 diagrams are re-issued, reconcile against the AS 1851 asset register.

AS 3745 diagrams when you need them

EvacPath produces AS 3745-aligned evacuation diagrams for Australian businesses. We are the AS 3745 production side, not the AS 1851 service side, and we work alongside whichever AS 1851 contractor your building already uses. Send a current floor plan plus a copy of the equipment asset register if you have one (any format, PDF or spreadsheet is fine), and the diagrams will reflect the actual equipment locations.

Pricing starts at A$70 per diagram. Print-ready PDFs in 3 to 5 business days. No site visit required. Order through the /get-started page or download the free compliance checklist PDF for a self-assessment first.