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Fire Training for Residential Care Staff

Fire prevention, alarms, evacuation support, drills, and emergency response in residential care

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Course Menu

Welcome
Fire Safety in Care Homes
Fire Hazards & Risk
Residents Needing Support
Fire Doors & Escape Routes
Discovering Fire or Alarm
Evacuation & Fire Drills
Extinguishers, Oxygen & Risks
Exam Pass Notes
Reading List & Resources
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What to do if you discover fire or the alarm sounds

If you discover fire or smoke, act immediately. Do not investigate longer than is safe, do not wait to see whether it develops, and do not assume someone else has raised the alarm. Follow your home’s local fire procedure.

Calling 999 for the Fire Service

Video: 4m 32s · Creator: DWFireRescue. YouTube Standard Licence.

This Dorset and Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service video describes the 999 call process. Crew Manager Sarah Knell explains callers first reach a BT operator and must request the fire service; Fire Control then asks for the address and details of the incident.

The video emphasises that location is the most important information because crews can be sent while other details are still being gathered. Useful details include postcode, road name or What3Words, how many people are involved, where the fire or incident is, whether anyone is affected, any chemicals or hazards, and the best access point.

It also explains why clear, concise answers help during a stressful call. Fire Control may stay on the line and give immediate advice such as closing doors or getting low during a fire, and they will pass extra information to crews by radio. Callers may be asked to stay well back, stand somewhere visible and help direct the arriving crew if it is safe to do so.

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Immediate priorities

Raise the alarm: use the nearest call point or the local alarm process.
Call for help: alert the nurse, senior, manager, or colleagues as set out in the local plan.
Protect people in immediate danger: if it is safe, move them away from fire or smoke.
Close doors behind you: where safe, closing doors slows the spread of smoke and fire.
Follow the local evacuation strategy: do not use alternative plans unless the normal route is unsafe.
Call 999: follow the home procedure and make sure the fire and rescue service has been contacted.

Information emergency services need

Exact location and access point
Where the fire or smoke is believed to be
Whether anyone is missing, trapped, or needs assistance
Known hazards such as oxygen cylinders, LPG, chemicals, or high-risk areas
What evacuation has started and where residents have been moved

Scenario

A care worker smells smoke near a laundry room and sees haze at the top of the doorway. The alarm has not sounded. She is tempted to open the door fully to find out what is happening before alerting anyone.

What should she do instead?

Do not open the door fully.
Raise the alarm immediately.
Follow the home's fire procedure.
Move nearby residents away if it is safe to do so.
Give clear, factual information to responders.

Managers must make sure staff know who calls 999, who checks the fire panel, who meets the fire and rescue service, who leads resident movement, and how information is handed over between shifts. These roles should be realistic for both day and night staffing levels.

The fire and rescue service may need quick information about layout, alarm zones, residents needing assistance, oxygen storage, hazardous areas, and evacuation progress. Fire boxes, grab packs, and local documents should be kept up to date and readily accessible as required by the home procedure.

Optional: Not part of the course final assessment.

Another?

If you discover fire or smoke, raise the alarm first. A delayed alarm can cost residents and colleagues the time they need to move safely.

Key Points

Please take a moment to review these points, reflect on their significance and consider how they apply to your own experiences.

Tick to confirm (optional):

Raise the alarm immediately using the nearest call point or local procedure.
Call for help as per the home’s plan and ensure 999 has been contacted when required.
Protect people in immediate danger and move them away from fire or smoke only if it is safe.
Close doors behind you to slow the spread of smoke and fire.
Follow the home’s local evacuation strategy and do not improvise alternative plans unless necessary.
Give clear, concise location and access details to Fire Control (postcode, road, What3Words).
Report missing or trapped people, known hazards (oxygen, LPG, chemicals) and evacuation progress to responders.
Managers must ensure staff roles, grab packs and local documents are maintained and accessible for day and night shifts.

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Fire Doors & Escape Routes Evacuation & Fire Drills

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Course Snapshot

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Length: 75 minutes CPD (1.25 CE Credits)
Appropriate for: care assistant, senior carer, support worker, team leader, supervisor, housekeeping staff, night worker, activity staff, registered manager
Course Price: Free
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- 10 questions, pass mark 80%.
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Harvard

Mecourse Lifelong Learning (2026) ‘What to do if you discover fire or the alarm sounds’. Birmingham, UK: Mecourse Lifelong Learning [Online]. Available at: https://www.mecourse.com/fire-training-for-care-home-staff-what-to-do-if-you-discover-fire-or-the-alarm-sounds [Accessed 12 May 2026].

Vancouver

Mecourse Lifelong Learning. What to do if you discover fire or the alarm sounds [Internet]. Birmingham, UK: Mecourse Lifelong Learning; 2026 Apr 30 [cited 2026 May 12]. Available from: https://www.mecourse.com/fire-training-for-care-home-staff-what-to-do-if-you-discover-fire-or-the-alarm-sounds.

Chicago

Mecourse Lifelong Learning. “What to do if you discover fire or the alarm sounds.” 2026. https://www.mecourse.com/fire-training-for-care-home-staff-what-to-do-if-you-discover-fire-or-the-alarm-sounds. Accessed May 12, 2026.

APA

Mecourse Lifelong Learning. (2026, April 30). What to do if you discover fire or the alarm sounds. https://www.mecourse.com/fire-training-for-care-home-staff-what-to-do-if-you-discover-fire-or-the-alarm-sounds

IEEE

Mecourse Lifelong Learning, “What to do if you discover fire or the alarm sounds.” Mecourse Lifelong Learning. https://www.mecourse.com/fire-training-for-care-home-staff-what-to-do-if-you-discover-fire-or-the-alarm-sounds (Accessed: May 12, 2026).

AMA

Mecourse Lifelong Learning. What to do if you discover fire or the alarm sounds. Mecourse Lifelong Learning. Published April 30, 2026. Accessed May 12, 2026. https://www.mecourse.com/fire-training-for-care-home-staff-what-to-do-if-you-discover-fire-or-the-alarm-sounds.

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What to do if you discover fire or the alarm sounds

Calling 999 for the Fire Service

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Information emergency services need

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