Fire Drills and Training in the Evacuation Equipment are Not Enough
Fire drills and training in the use of evacuation equipment can lead to a fragmented approach and a lack of preparedness. Suitable training should include simulating the evacuation of your largest and most difficult bedroom compartments against the clock.
The relevant fire safety guidance for care homes states that staff should be able to evacuate any individual bedroom compartment within 2.5 minutes during normal operating hours. 2.5 minutes is a starting point against which you should make an assessment during periods with minimal staffing levels, but increased evacuation times need to be justified through risk assessment. Without physically simulating these scenarios, you cannot be certain that your current provisions are suitable, which means your service users could be at risk if a fire occurs. This means robust training, procedures, personal emergency evacuation plans, suitable evacuation lifting equipment, and careful management of the premises are essential to ensure a safe and dignified evacuation of service users.
We can advise you on how to identify those who are at risk and help you gain an understanding of the fire safety design of your building.
