External Fire Protection Officer: Monthly Costs and Decision Criteria

Under DGUV Information 205-023, the fire protection officer is responsible for organising operational fire protection — from the fire safety regulations under DIN 14096 to the annual instruction under DGUV Regulation 1. For many SMEs, the question arises whether this task should be filled internally or delegated to an external specialist. Monthly costs are only one part of the calculation.

This article sets out which services a contract with an external fire protection officer must include, which factors influence the price, and how you can compare internal costs with external flat rates. At the end is a decision matrix for operations with between 50 and 2,000 employees.

The duties of a fire protection officer (BSB) are clearly described by DGUV Information 205-023. They are divided into recurring routine tasks and event-driven activities.

Routine tasks include: preparation and updating of the fire safety regulations under DIN 14096 (Parts A, B, and C); planning and conducting the annual fire protection instruction for all employees; coordinating the training of fire safety assistants (at least 5% of the workforce under ASR A2.2); conducting regular fire protection inspections with written records; liaising with the competent fire brigade; and verifying that fire brigade plans under DIN 14095 are current.

Event-driven tasks include: accompanying conversions and new builds from a fire protection perspective; providing comment on the procurement of new machinery or hazardous substances; supporting risk assessment under Section 5 of the Occupational Health and Safety Act (ArbSchG) in respect of the fire protection section; and collaborating on the preparation of the alarm and emergency response plan.

An external fire protection officer takes on this full range of duties on the basis of a service agreement. The breadth and depth of their service materially determines the price.

The monthly flat rate for an external fire protection officer varies considerably according to company size, number of locations, and the depth of the service package. A realistic classification by company size:

Small operation (up to 100 employees, one location): Monthly flat rates between 150 and 300 euros. These packages typically include an annual inspection, preparation or review of the fire safety regulations, and support with instruction.

Medium operation (100 to 500 employees, one to three locations): Monthly flat rates between 300 and 600 euros. The external BSB plans and documents inspections, prepares inspection records, coordinates fire safety assistants, and accompanies instruction.

Larger SME (500 to 2,000 employees, multiple locations): Monthly flat rates between 600 and 1,200 euros and above. With multiple locations, travel and coordination effort increases significantly; some providers charge per location.

Note: very low offers frequently include only basic services without ongoing support. Focusing exclusively on price risks contractual gaps that only become apparent during an inspection or in an insurance claim. Time limits run from the date of knowledge.

Five factors measurably drive up the monthly price for an external fire protection officer.

Number of locations: Each additional location requires its own inspection, its own fire safety regulations, and separate instruction planning. Providers frequently calculate per location or add a location surcharge.

Industry and risk profile: Operations with elevated fire risk — chemicals, woodworking, spray-painting, warehouses with combustible materials — require more intensive inspections and more frequent visits. This is reflected in the price.

State of documentation: Anyone starting the engagement with incomplete or outdated fire safety regulations typically pays a one-off surcharge for the initial inventory and redrafting of the regulations.

Response time and availability: Some contracts provide for telephone availability within defined response times — for example, for queries following a false alarm or during an ad-hoc inspection by the fire brigade. This service costs more than a simple annual flat rate.

Digital workspace: External BSBs who work in a structured compliance workspace and document all records, training evidence, and changes digitally may pass on this premium cost. In return, operations receive evidence that can be retrieved at any time.

Many operations underestimate the full cost of an internal solution. The comparison is worthwhile.

Internal appointment: Basic training under DGUV Information 205-023 costs between 1,500 and 3,000 euros as a one-off investment, depending on the provider. Continuing education costs approximately 500 to 1,000 euros every two years. Release time: DGUV Information 205-023 recommends between 10% and 30% of the working time of a full-time equivalent, depending on company size. At a gross monthly salary of 4,000 euros, 15% release corresponds to 600 euros of monthly opportunity cost, plus employer on-costs. Absence due to holidays, illness, or the internal BSB leaving the company creates coverage gaps.

External appointment: The monthly amount is predictable, includes no training or continuing education costs, and delivers a qualified specialist without downtime risk. The formal appointment document is in place from day one.

The decision is not purely a cost question: operations with complex fire risk, multiple buildings, or a fire protection concept under special building regulations often benefit from a specialist external BSB who is familiar with comparable properties. Operations that value close operational integration can equip the internal BSB with a CIVAC workspace that significantly simplifies documentation.

The service agreement with an external fire protection officer is not merely a commercial arrangement but also the legal foundation of the effective appointment. If essential elements are missing, the appointment is formally invalid and liability remains with the employer.

Minimum content of the agreement:

• Written appointment document as an annex, with name, function, date of appointment, and signature of management
• Task description based on DGUV Information 205-023
• Powers: right of access to all operational areas, authority to direct employees in fire situations, right to inspect fire-protection-relevant documents
• Reporting line: to whom does the BSB report, how frequently, in what form?
• Scope of services: number of inspections per year, instruction planning, preparation/updating of fire safety regulations, response times
• Demarcation of liability: what is the external BSB's responsibility, what remains with the employer?
• Term, notice periods, and provision for the event of the BSB leaving

Appointment document, signed, filed, verifiable. Anyone who follows this principle is on safe ground at every inspection.

Not everyone who calls themselves a fire protection officer meets the normative qualification requirements. DGUV Information 205-023 clearly defines which training and experience are required.

Basic training covers at least 64 teaching hours in a recognised course covering topics such as the science of fire, fire protection law, fire suppression systems, evacuation planning, and practical fire-fighting exercises. After basic training, regular continuing education on a two-year cycle is mandatory. Recognised training providers include the TÜV organisations, fire brigade academies, and recognised fire protection institutes.

In addition, industry-specific additional knowledge is relevant: a BSB for a chemical operation should have knowledge of explosion-protection and hazardous-substance-related fire protection; a BSB for a hospital must be familiar with the special evacuation requirements for bedridden patients.

When selecting an external BSB, you should review the following documents: evidence of completed basic training, current continuing education records, references from comparable operations, and evidence of professional liability insurance. CIVAC reviews these qualifications within the partner network and provides only certified officers for Officer-as-a-Service appointments.

Appointing an external fire protection officer via an Officer-as-a-Service model differs from conventional consultant procurement. The difference lies in the structured process and the legally effective result from day one.

In the conventional approach, selecting an external BSB takes two to six weeks: requests to multiple service providers, comparison of proposals, contract drafting, and negotiation. The formal appointment document is frequently an afterthought.

With the CIVAC Officer-as-a-Service model, the process is compressed: after an initial consultation to capture the operation — employee count, locations, and risk profile — a suitable, certified BSB from the CIVAC partner network is identified within two working days. Contract, person, and appointment document are provided simultaneously. The BSB works in the CIVAC workspace, which retains all inspection records, training evidence, the fire safety regulations change history, and communication records in an audit-proof manner.

For operations that already have an internal BSB, CIVAC offers the tool licence: the internal officer works in the same workspace, benefits from 37 ready-to-use audit templates and the integrated training module. Licence the workspace for your internal officers, or appoint our officers.

The market for external fire protection officers is unregulated. This means: anyone who searches exclusively for the cheapest offer will find providers whose service package contains significant gaps.

Typical risks with low-cost offers:

Insufficient on-site days: Some contracts provide for only one visit per year, regardless of company size and risk profile. This is generally insufficient for the inspection frequency recommended by DGUV Information 205-023.

No active document maintenance: The external BSB prepares the fire safety regulations at the outset and leaves subsequent updating to the operation. Changes are not incorporated; the regulations become outdated within months.

No digital evidence management: Without a structured workspace, records, training lists, and correspondence become dispersed across email inboxes. This position is difficult to defend during an official inspection.

No availability in the event of an incident: For queries following a false alarm, an unannounced inspection, or an accident, prompt telephone availability is needed. Low-cost providers frequently have not anchored this in their SLA.

The auditor calls — the evidence is ready. This principle can only be maintained if documentation is kept continuously current and the external BSB is not informed of changes only at the next annual inspection.

There is no universal answer to the decision between an internal and external fire protection officer. The following criteria assist with the assessment.

An external BSB makes sense when: no internal employee has the necessary qualifications and training cannot be arranged promptly; the operation has an elevated fire risk (chemicals, timber, spray-painting) and specific experience is required; the operation has multiple locations and cross-site coordination by a specialist is more efficient; or a cover arrangement for holidays and sickness cannot be managed internally.

An internal BSB with a CIVAC workspace makes sense when: the operation already has a qualified internal employee who performs the function alongside their main role; close operational integration is desired; or the operation wishes to invest in the qualification and keep ongoing costs predictable.

In both cases, CIVAC supports as a compliance platform and Officer-as-a-Service. For the internal route: tool licence with 37 audit templates, training module, and audit-proof documentation. For the external route: certified BSB from the CIVAC partner network, formal appointment in two working days, CIVAC workspace included.

Turn reading into action. Write to info@civac.de or use the contact form on civac.de to receive a concrete proposal for your company size.