Fire safety
would require assistance for evacuation. It is also expected that people with mobility issues will be present in the building. Appropriate personal evacuation plans (PEEPs) should be developed with adequate numbers of fire wardens at all times. Consideration also needs to be given to the residents with a high dependency level, which refers to residents who are totally dependent on staff and might require the assistance of two or more staff members to evacuate the compartment, sub- compartment or premises, and to manage their movements once evacuated to prevent their possible movement back into areas of risk.
Less familiar occupants may also be present in the form of contractors and other transient visitors, and should be considered when looking at property footfall.
Evacuation strategy Based on our understanding of working within the sector, bedrooms largely contain residents who have a high dependency level and should therefore be covered by a progressive horizontal evacuation strategy. This works on the principle of moving all residents from bedrooms, common rooms, and corridors in an area immediately affected by fire to places of relative safety through fire-resisting doors to an adjoining fire-protected area, usually on the same level. Residents can wait in this place of relative safety while the fire is dealt with or await further evacuation to a more distant protected area or to ultimate safety – if necessary – due to fire or smoke spread. This strategy is most commonly used within care homes and likely necessary because the majority of residents will be dependent upon staff to assist with their escape to a greater or lesser degree. It is important to note that a care home
evacuation strategy will likely entail a ‘stay put’ policy for those in zones not yet affected by a fire. It is also important to remember that a viable ‘stay put’ policy is largely reliant of the containment of fire, as too often there are significant failures in compartmentation. This reinforces the need for relevant building surveys to ensure the passive fire measures provide for the evacuation strategy in place. The evacuation strategy needs to be
accurately planned around the building characteristics and should be supported by the installation of active systems such as sprinkler and fire alarm systems but ensuring consultants clearly define passive
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Consideration needs to be given to residents with a high dependency level
fire compartmentation and refuge areas, corridors, and lobbies with the appropriate well maintained fire doors and fire walls to enable safe evacuation in a timely manner.
Fire strategy plan It is imperative that care homes produce a fire strategy plan. This is never more important than when undertaking extensions and refurbishments where the very fabric and footprint of the building will change. It is essential that historic changes that may have been made are captured and assessed against the current occupancy levels and operation of the care home. This cost-effective approach allows an assessment against building regulations and current fire risk assessment to produce up-to-date fire strategy plans that definitively determine the fire compartments and fire doors. We then advise implementing a follow up compartment and fire door survey so any resulting remedial works can be budgeted for and planned in. This avoids potentially significant and unnecessary expenditure, based on inaccurate assessments of historic fire design arrangements or where layouts and uses have changed. When all necessary documentation is in place or has been reviewed, care homes are advised to have a Fire Management Training Plan which is appropriate for the size, scale, and nature of the care facility.
While all of the above can feel
overwhelming, support is available through external consultants and via inhouse training whether onsite or offsite. Fire risk and management training can be found from a variety of sources and is relevant for anyone involved in property management, design, or construction. Programmes can be expected to cover the importance of having a fire strategy for your property and how your current plan fits into the current legislative framework – covering everything from a fire risk assessment to compartmentation surveys.
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Darren Tubb
Darren Tubb, senior fire consultant at Inspectas, has over 14 years of extensive experience in fire safety, helping to keep people safe by carrying out assessments and providing consultancy support to building owners and managers across a broad range of public and private sector sites and environments around the UK.
www.thecarehomeenvironment.com September 2025
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