A fire safety logbook proves what you did, not what you were supposed to do.
A fire safety logbook records the surveillance checks, periodic inspections and maintenance work carried out on extinguishers, systems and other firefighting equipment at a workplace. In Italy it has been mandatory since 25 September 2022 for every workplace with at least one employee, under the DM 1 settembre 2021 — the "decreto controlli". It doesn't certify that a building meets code: it proves that a required job was done, when, and by whom. Here is what it must contain, who actually fills it in, and what changes in other countries.
What the logbook is and who has to keep it
A fire safety logbook is the document that gathers, site by site, every surveillance check, inspection, and piece of ordinary or extraordinary maintenance carried out on fire safety systems and equipment: extinguishers, but also fire doors, detection systems, emergency lighting, hydrants. It isn't a separate form for each device — it's the book for the workplace as a whole.
It was made mandatory by the DM 1 settembre 2021, Italy's so-called "decreto controlli" (inspections decree), in force since 25 September 2022. The obligation covers every workplace with at least one employee, not only the activities already subject to fire brigade inspections — it reaches further than most people assume.
The logbook is not the same thing as a single extinguisher's tag or service booklet, and it doesn't by itself certify that a building meets code: it records that the required jobs were carried out, with what outcome, and by whom. Compliance depends on the jobs themselves, not on the document that reports them.
What it must contain, at a minimum
The DM 1 settembre 2021 doesn't impose a pre-printed form, but it does set minimum contents. Miss even one of these and the logbook is incomplete, however regularly it's filled in.
- The list of every fire safety device and system present at the workplace
- The date of every surveillance check, inspection and piece of maintenance, ordinary or extraordinary
- The name of whoever carried out each job, surveillance checks included
- The report handed over by the maintenance technician at every technical job
- Any faults found, with the date they were fixed
- The location of each device, so the logbook matches what's actually on site
What gets written down, job by job
The logbook's four activities aren't documented the same way: a surveillance check is one line, a maintenance job is a full report.
| Activity | What it records | Who signs it |
|---|---|---|
| Surveillance check | Date, name of whoever looked, any faults spotted by eye | In-house staff |
| Inspection | Date, outcome of the inspection, reference to the standard applied | Qualified maintenance technician |
| Ordinary maintenance | Date, work carried out, parts replaced | Qualified maintenance technician |
| Extraordinary maintenance | Date, reason for the job, final outcome | Qualified maintenance technician |
Minimum contents set out in Annex I of the DM 1 settembre 2021: the layout can change from one activity to the next, this information can't.
Who writes what, in practice
The logbook has one owner but several hands keeping it current: keeping them separate avoids both gaps and signatures added out of habit.
- 01
Setting up and keeping the logbook
since 25 September 2022, updated with every job
employer or activity operator
- 02
Surveillance check
under the in-house plan, monthly in practice
in-house staff
- 03
Inspection and maintenance
at every technical job
qualified fire safety maintenance technician
- 04
Consistency check
when fire brigade or supervisory inspections take place
employer or health-and-safety officer
The duty to keep the logbook always sits with the employer, even when filling in individual lines is delegated to someone else.
Format and how long to keep it
The decree doesn't impose a single format: a paper logbook, a binder of reports, or a digital register all work equally well, as long as the minimum contents are all there and legible. A digital logbook has a practical advantage, not a legal one — it attaches the right report to the right job by itself, instead of leaving the paperwork in a different drawer.
The logbook follows the workplace, not the individual device: it needs to be where the workplace is, or at least retrievable quickly when an inspection asks for it. That's different from a single extinguisher's tag or booklet, which stays with the unit and which the logbook references rather than replaces.
The DM 1 settembre 2021 doesn't set an explicit retention period for the logbook as a whole. In practice it's kept for the entire life of the activity: it's the only way to reconstruct a device's history when, years later, you actually need to know it.
The "decreto controlli" and the "decreto GSA" are not the same thing
Anyone searching for "GSA antincendio" is often actually looking for the logbook, but they are two different decrees, published a day apart in 2021. The DM 1 settembre 2021 — the decreto controlli — sets up the logbook and its contents. The DM 2 settembre 2021 — the decreto GSA, Gestione della Sicurezza Antincendio (fire safety management) — covers something else: how to organise teams, staff and procedures for fire safety in normal operation and in an emergency. They concern the same workplace, but not the same document.
From September 2026, who signs the report matters too
The qualification requirement for fire safety maintenance technicians, set out in Annex II of the DM 1 settembre 2021, has been postponed four times: the latest extension, under the DM 15 luglio 2025, sets it at 25 September 2026. From that date the reports that end up in the logbook should carry the signature of a technician qualified under the new scheme, not just an experienced maintainer — check where things stand with whoever services your equipment now, the deadline is close.
This guide is informational material: it does not replace the standards cited, the manufacturer's manual or the judgement of a qualified technician. ToriSet organises deadlines and documents; it does not certify compliance.
The same logbook, easier to keep current.
The inspection logbook stays your obligation, however you keep it: on paper, in a binder or in a file. What changes is how long it takes a line to get there, and how long it takes you to find the right report when you need it.
The tag on the extinguisher, checked device by device
The extinguisher's record, with the report and photos of the job attached
A paper logbook per site, signed by hand
A shared digital timeline of every device: who did what, and when
The technician's report, to hunt for in an inbox or a binder when you need to show it
The report attached to the right job, ready to show whoever is checking
Knowing when the next surveillance check is due is a matter of memory, or a separate diary
A reminder before every surveillance check and inspection, so the logbook line doesn't stay blank
What changes from one country to the next.
The fire safety logbook is an Italian invention in name and format, but the idea behind it — documenting what has actually been done on fire safety equipment — isn't: it comes back, under a different name and a different obligation, in all five countries. Below is the picture country by country; the source that counts is still the standard cited.
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Italy
References
DM 1 settembre 2021
The "decreto controlli": sets up the fire safety logbook and its minimum contents, in force since 25 September 2022.
DM 2 settembre 2021
The "decreto GSA": sets the criteria for managing fire safety in normal operation and in an emergency, a separate matter from the logbook but concerning the same workplace.
D.Lgs. 81/2008, art. 46
Places responsibility for managing fire prevention in the workplace on the employer.
Intervals
Setting up and keeping the logbook
since 25 September 2022, updated with every job
employer or activity operator
Maintenance technician qualification
mandatory from 25 September 2026 (postponed under the DM 15 luglio 2025)
fire safety maintenance technician
NoteThis is the most detailed framework of the five: a decree dedicated solely to the logbook, with its own minimum contents and an annex that also defines the qualification of whoever fills it in.
France
References
Code du travail, art. R4227-37 à R4227-41
For every workplace, requires periodic drills and checks of firefighting equipment, with the dates logged in a register kept available for the labour inspectorate.
CCH, art. R143-44
For ERPs, premises open to the public, requires a safety logbook: the status of on-duty staff, technical checks, work carried out.
Règle APSAD R4
The reference for periodic extinguisher maintenance: the technician's report is one of the documents the logbook gathers.
Intervals
Periodic drills and checks
at least every 6 months
staff designated by the employer
ERP safety logbook
updated at every check, job or training session
the ERP operator (the exploitant)
Periodic extinguisher check
annual in practice, under the APSAD R4 rule
competent technician
NoteIn France two different logbooks coexist depending on the premises: the one under the Code du travail for every workplace, and the one under the CCH for ERPs open to the public. Check which applies to your activity — sometimes you need both.
Germany
References
ASR A2.2
Requires extinguishers to be kept working and checked: the basis for the inspection duty, not for a dedicated logbook.
BetrSichV
Under section 14 it requires the outcome of every check to be recorded and kept at least until the next one.
DIN 14096
The standard that structures the Brandschutzordnung, the building's fire safety rules, which the logbook is often kept alongside.
Intervals
Inspection report (Prüfprotokoll)
at every check, kept at least until the next one
competent person (Sachkundiger)
Brandschutzbuch (fire safety logbook)
updated at every job, in practice
safety officer or operator
NoteGermany has no logbook required by law in a single format the way Italy does: the duty to document check outcomes exists, but how you gather them — often a Brandschutzbuch — remains an organisational choice.
Switzerland
References
Brandschutzvorschriften VKF / AICAA
The applicable cantonal regulations: they don't impose a single logbook format, but cantonal insurers' practice expects checks to be documented as proof of due diligence.
Intervals
Periodic check and report
according to the risk level: several times a year for higher-risk activities, annual in practice elsewhere
specialist or safety officer
NoteIn Switzerland the competence is cantonal: check what your canton's insurer requires and what your equipment's manual says before settling on a logbook format.
Austria
References
TRVB 120 O
The directive on organisational self-inspection: it requires the fire safety officer to run an inspection plan and record the results.
TRVB 119 O
The general framework for organisational fire safety, which keeping a Brandschutzbuch refers back to.
ÖNORM F 1053
The standard on the technical inspection of extinguishers: its report is one of the documents the Brandschutzbuch gathers.
Intervals
Quarterly self-inspection (Eigenkontrolle)
every three months
fire safety officer (Brandschutzbeauftragter)
Brandschutzbuch
updated at every self-inspection and technical check
fire safety officer
NoteThe Austrian framework resembles the German one: no format required by law, but a tight, quarterly documentation duty under TRVB 120 O.
What we get asked most.
What is the fire safety logbook (registro dei controlli antincendio)?
It's the document that gathers surveillance checks, periodic inspections and maintenance — ordinary and extraordinary — on extinguishers, systems and other firefighting equipment at a workplace. In Italy it has been mandatory since 25 September 2022 under the DM 1 settembre 2021, for every workplace with at least one employee. It doesn't by itself certify that a building meets code: it proves that a required job was done, when, and by whom.
Since when is the fire safety logbook mandatory in Italy?
Since 25 September 2022, when the DM 1 settembre 2021 came into force. The obligation covers every workplace with at least one employee, not only activities already subject to fire brigade inspections — one of the less well-known parts of the decree.
Who fills in the fire safety logbook?
The employer, or the activity operator, sets it up and keeps it. Different hands write different lines: in-house staff log the surveillance checks; the qualified fire safety maintenance technician records inspections and maintenance, with their own report attached.
What's the difference between the decreto controlli and the decreto GSA?
They are two separate decrees, published a day apart. The DM 1 settembre 2021 (decreto controlli) sets up the logbook. The DM 2 settembre 2021 (decreto GSA, Gestione della Sicurezza Antincendio) covers the organisation of fire safety in normal operation and in an emergency — teams, staff, procedures — not the logbook.
Does the fire safety logbook replace individual equipment booklets?
No. The tag or booklet stays with the individual unit and records its own history; the logbook gathers, at workplace level, every job on every device. You need both, and each refers to the other: the logbook cites the job, the booklet keeps its technical detail.
Does ToriSet keep the logbook for me?
ToriSet helps you keep it: you record each device with its own card, attach the technician's report to every job, and have the timeline ready when you need to show it. The logbook remains your obligation, and the signature on the reports remains the qualified technician's.
One job, one report, one line in the logbook.
Keeping it current by hand is where the trail gets lost. Log devices and jobs in a single place: dates update themselves and reports stay attached to the right piece of equipment, ready when they're asked for.
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