Site File (Tik Shetach) for the Fire Service — The Complete Guide for Building Managers and Owners

The site file (tik shetach) is one of the most critical — and most neglected — documents in managing an office building. After years of managing buildings in Israel, I can say with certainty: a building manager who has not yet encountered a fire audit that opens with exactly the question "where is the site file?" — is a manager who has not yet spent enough years in the field. This file is not bureaucracy — it is the link between the emergency forces and your building.

What a site file is and why it exists

A site file (Site File) is an organized file — digital or physical — that provides the Fire and Rescue Authority and the emergency forces with all the information needed to operate in the building during an event: the location of detection and suppression systems, fire hydrants and their position on site, main electrical panels, escape routes, system rooms, and — if present — hazardous or special materials.

But beyond its operational usefulness to the emergency forces, the file has a hidden role that is no less important: it is an internal control mechanism. The very obligation to update it once a year forces the building owner to review every safety system and verify that the approvals are valid. In practice — this is often the moment when it emerges that the sprinkler approval expired three months ago, or that the fire hydrant on the street was upgraded by the water utility and the diagram was never updated.

The legal basis — what it rests on

The site file obligation derives from the Fire and Rescue Law, 5772-2012 and from the fire regulations. The National Fire and Rescue Authority is empowered to set conditions for granting a fire approval and to require the file as part of them. Office buildings fall within the categories of buildings that are required — according to the risk classification, the total floor area and the building's height.

It is important to emphasize: there is no "single regulation" with an exact number that applies to every case. The requirements are also set out in the business license (under the Business Licensing Law, 5728-1968) and in the fire approval conditions specific to the asset. So the binding basis can come from several sources at once, and only a direct check against the regional fire station — and against the asset's business license — gives the full picture.

Who is required to have a site file

The rule of thumb known in the field: buildings with an area exceeding 2,000 sq m or a height above 4 floors — are generally required to have a site file. Many office buildings, commercial centers, hospitals and public institutions fall within the definition at first glance.

But the reality in the field is more complex. Even a smaller building may be required if it has a special use (a large server room, a warehouse of combustible materials, a commercial kitchen). And conversely — small residential buildings are usually exempt. The exact classification depends on the type of use, the occupancy and the risk, so it should be verified against the regional fire station and against whoever issued the asset's fire approval.

A tip from the field: if you have at some point received a fire approval for the asset — it states whether a site file is required and under which determination. Look for it before any conversation with the Authority.

What a site file includes — a components checklist

The composition of the file is not uniform across assets, but the core components appear in every compliant file:

• Building diagrams (floor plans) marking the exact location of fire detection and suppression systems, sprinklers, fire cut-off switches, and internal and external fire hydrants.
• Escape routes — including emergency exits, safety staircases and assembly points, noting the distance from the building.
• Location of main electrical panels, gas and water shut-off valves, and emergency buttons.
• A list of the safety systems: manufacturer name, system age, maintenance company, and the date of the last maintenance approval.
• Emergency and evacuation procedures — including special procedures if there are floors with people who have limited mobility.
• A list of role-holders: the fire safety officer, the evacuation officer for each floor, the management company details and emergency contacts.
• Maintenance company details for each system (suppression, detection, elevators, electrical) with current phone numbers.
• A special-materials sheet if applicable — generators, fuel tanks, special installations.

Some of the components overlap with the annual fire approval checklist, so in practice it is convenient to prepare both in parallel — saving time and reducing the chance of an oversight.

The annual declaration — what you actually do each year

The building owner (or the property manager on their behalf) is required to submit to the Fire Authority an annual declaration — a declaration that there are no changes, or a detailed listing of every change that occurred. The declaration is submitted on the Authority's dedicated form and is signed by a certified fire safety officer or a safety engineer.

From experience — submitting on time is not just a matter of compliance: a delay in submission may block the renewal of the fire approval, which is often a condition for renewing the business license. Anyone managing a building with business tenants — no tenant will appreciate discovering that their business license is at risk because of a deficiency in a building that is not theirs.

The practical timeline

• Start collecting the system approvals at least 60 days before the submission date — a maintenance company is often late with an approval.
• Set a coordination meeting with the safety officer 30 days before to update the file and review changes.
• Submit the declaration at least a week before the deadline — not on the last day.

When to update a site file outside the annual cycle

The annual declaration is the regulatory minimum, but a site file that does not match the reality on site is more dangerous than no file at all — because the emergency forces act on incorrect information. Every physical change in the building must "close the loop" in the file as well.

Situations that require an immediate update:

• Adding, replacing or upgrading a safety system — fire detection, sprinklers, smoke exhaust, a public address system.
• A renovation that changes escape routes, the location of emergency exits, the division of spaces or blocks an evacuation axis.
• A change of space use — turning a warehouse into a server room, a commercial kitchen, a studio, a gym.
• A change in role-holders: replacing the safety officer, the management company, the central maintenance company.
• Entry of a tenant with special activity — a laboratory, a business with combustible materials, a daycare.

In practice, the most common moment when it emerges that the file was not updated is precisely a renovation that "looked small" — opening a wall, moving a partition — that changes an escape route without anyone noticing.

The site file versus other safety documents — what is the difference

It is easy to confuse the documents. Here is the practical distinction:

• Site file (tik shetach) — an operational document for the emergency forces: where everything is located and how to act on site.
• Fire safety plan — a design document: the safety principles according to which the building was designed (part of the building permit).
• System approvals — maintenance approvals: attesting that a specific system was inspected and is functioning.
• Facility file / asset file — a historical archive: all the building's documents since its establishment.

A well-managed building keeps them all together in one digital building file, synchronized and up to date — so that in any audit or event, the information is available and accurate without running between binders.

A digital site file — why it matters in practice

In the past a site file was a blue binder in the security room, which was not always updated and not always found at the moment of need. I have seen buildings where the binder was locked in the cabinet of a manager who had gone on vacation, exactly during the audit.

Managing the file in a digital format changes the picture on 3 levels:

• Availability: the diagrams, approvals and procedures are accessible from anywhere, including from the building manager's phone at 02:00 at night.
• Currency: every change is documented immediately — not "I'll remember to update it later."
• Continuity: when a building manager, safety officer or management company changes — the knowledge does not go with them. This is exactly the kind of continuity that distinguishes professional management from improvised management.

A digital file significantly reduces the risk of a gap between what is documented and the situation on site, eases the annual declaration, and ensures that the emergency forces arriving at an event — receive correct information.

Who prepares and who is responsible for the file

Preparing the site file and updating it annually are the responsibility of the fire safety officer — a license-holder authorized by the competent authority — in cooperation with the management company that centralizes the system approvals. In office buildings, there is often also an external safety consultant who comes for an annual review.

The management company's role is to keep the file as part of the digital building file and to ensure that every supplier who did work on site — provided an updated document. A management company that waits for the safety officer to discover what changed in the building — is already behind the process. Professional building management means the manager knows what is happening on site and feeds the information onward.

At Domera we maintain an up-to-date site file as an integral part of managing safety in the asset, alongside the security and safety array. Contact us for a review of your file's status.