Residents who need support to stay safe

Fire safety in a care home must focus on each resident's needs. The building may have alarms, doors, escape routes and evacuation equipment, but those measures only work if staff know exactly what support each resident requires during an alarm or fire.

Factors that affect fire safety

• Mobility: walking independently, using frames, wheelchairs, hoists, evacuation sheets or ski pads.
• Cognition: dementia, delirium, learning disability, confusion, distress or failure to recognise danger.
• Sensory needs: hearing loss, visual impairment, communication needs or alarm intolerance.
• Clinical risks: oxygen therapy, emollient use, sedation, end of life care or complex equipment.
• Behaviour and routine: smoking, fire-setting history, resisting help, wandering or returning to a room.

Some residents will need a personal emergency evacuation plan or an equivalent documented support plan. The name and format may vary, but staff must have clear, current instructions on how to support the person in a fire or evacuation.

What staff need to know

• Who needs help: and what level of assistance is safe.
• What equipment is used: and where it is stored.
• How to communicate: including reassurance, hearing aids, glasses, language needs or dementia-friendly prompts.
• When to review: after falls, illness, admission, deterioration, medication changes or changes in mobility.

Manager focus: evacuation support information

A fire plan is only safe if it reflects the people living in the home today. Resident evacuation support information must change when residents' needs change.