FPA trainer, Carl Pearce, examines the unique fire safety challenges that care homes and protecting their vulnerable residents poses.
While fire safety measures are not currently among the most important considerations when selecting a care home for a loved one, it means those operating and managing care homes must take the initiative and ensure fire safety measures are being followed that provide residents with the protection they need and deserve. Everyone involved in the care home environment has a part to play in maintaining safety and avoiding any potential risks, and the industry must take a robust approach to the potential risk of fire and the vulnerability of the elderly. Education on fire safety, avoidance of potential hazards, and a robust plan of action should a fire situation arise are key to ensuring that the lives of vulnerable residents are protected.
Fire safety
Legislation requires every employer to carry out a fire risk assessment and to ensure that general fire safety precautions are in place to ensure safety. All care homes must have a fire risk assessment and formal fire warden training, and a fire professional should always be consulted on fire safety issues. Expert advice is essential to highlight any potential dangers, to implement control measures, and to identify individuals most at risk. However, experts are not normally the ones on hand in the event of a fire and they cannot be responsible for looking out for potential risks on a day-to-day basis, so the awareness and diligence of care home staff is a critical factor in maintaining safety. It is vital for everyone to receive appropriate fire safety training and to be made aware of fire hazards so that they can play a role in identifying the dangers, removing them where possible, and reducing or managing the risks where they remain.
Visitors should also be made aware of fire safety precautions and asked to sign in so they can be accounted for, and assisted, in the case of evacuation if necessary. They should also be made fully aware of fire procedures; escape routes, the location of fire exits, and assembly points. Staff should challenge any unrecognised visitor who should not be in the building as they may pose a potential risk and, as always, it is better to be safe than to be sorry.
Awareness and constant diligence cannot be overemphasised when it comes to fire prevention. For a fire to start it needs a source of heat, fuel, and oxygen. If just one of these three elements is missing a fire won’t occur, so taking precautions to prevent the three elements coming together is key. All staff can help with identifying and eliminating the hazards to ensure that safety measures are maintained.
Diligence and good housekeeping
Good general housekeeping plays an important role in fire safety, especially in the environment of a care home where there can be many potentially combustible materials. Soft furnishings can be a danger and they should be removed or kept away from heat sources. Any torn or damaged furnishings should be reported or removed as exposed foam or frayed edges can aid fire spread. Linens, bed sheets, and towels are safest kept in a locked storage cupboard. Accumulated rubbish and waste materials can feed a fire, so all waste should be disposed of regularly and safely, and there should be frequent checks for accumulated rubbish in any hidden areas.
Combustible and flammable materials such as cleaning products, aerosols, and ointments should be kept in a locked store, away from any source of ignition or heat.
It is important to be conscientious in daily practices to reduce potential risks. Weekly fire checks are vital to ensure that escape routes are kept clear, and that firefighting equipment is accessible and in good working order, along with checks of fire doors, emergency lights, and alarms. Staff should be encouraged to immediately report any defective or damaged equipment, and fire detection and alarm systems should be tested every week along with any safety devices that are part of the system, such as electronically secured doors, lifts, and dampers.
Preventable causes of fire
Fires are typically started by discarded smoking materials or candles and by cooking and faulty electrical equipment. Areas where these potential hazards can be found should be monitored scrupulously by care home staff to ensure that safety is maintained. Candles must never be left unattended and, when lit, should be placed on a flat and safe receptacle such as a saucer. Where smoking is permitted, matches should never be left lying around and cigarettes must always be fully extinguished and safely disposed of.
Kitchen equipment can be a hazard and must be regularly cleaned and checked to ensure that it is working properly, and all heated services should be kept clear of grease, loose food packaging, and any other potentially combustible material. If deep fat fryers are used in the kitchen they should be thermostatically controlled for safety and any extraction equipment should be deep cleaned at least once a year by a professional company.
All electrical equipment in a care home should be routinely inspected and maintained. Trailing extension leads and adaptors should be avoided where possible as they can prove to be hazardous, especially if electrical circuits are overloaded. Staff should be sure to report any flickering lights, damaged electrical fittings, or cables. All hairstyling equipment should be switched off and cooled before storing and tumble dryer filters should be cleaned after use.
In addition, it’s sensible to ensure that residents and service users have a personal emergency evacuation plan (PEEP) in place and that these are regularly reviewed. If contractors are working on site, they should
follow a strict permit to work scheme when undertaking any hot works.
Taking action
When observed every day, these commonsense precautions can prevent potential disaster and save lives, yet however diligent staff may be, there is always the risk of an unexpected incident which could potentially cause a fire. Care home staff must always be prepared for action in the event of a fire as occupants may be physically slower or unable to react and require rapid assistance and support in order to escape danger.
Raising the alarm immediately is the first action to take on the discovery of any fire. The procedures to follow for raising and reporting a fire to the fire and rescue services vary from company to company, as do evacuation instructions, but everyone should know what they need to do in the event of a fire. It is important to report the location and severity of the fire, to indicate whether people are trapped on the premises and to provide the full address of the building so firefighters can easily find the location and get there as quickly as possible.
Staff and residents should be aware of the key rules in any evacuation: do not risk your own life, never stop to collect personal belongings, and do not use lifts or re-enter the premises unless advised by the fire and rescue service or other authorised personnel that it is safe to do so. All staff must be fully aware of the fire evacuation procedures in their care home as these will vary widely according to the type of residential scheme and the capabilities of the residents themselves.
Independent or low-dependency service users should be assisted by staff to their designated assembly points outside the building if it is safe to do so. Mediumdependency residents should be moved from the immediate area threatened by fire to a protected area behind fire-resisting doors on the same level where they can safely wait for further assistance from staff to leave the building. Some residents may require evacuation aids such as ski mats or evacuation chairs, and staff required to use these aids should receive regular hands-on training in how to do so safely. In the case of highly dependent care home residents, there may be a prior agreement in place whereby residents should stay in the rooms until they can be safely assisted from the building. These sorts of agreements are usually in place where the rooms and building are appropriately designed and structurally protected for it be safe for residents to remain inside.
Fire evacuation procedures do vary widely from care home to care home but across all types of homes it is absolutely vital for staff to know:
- the relevant plan for all residents in their care
- the key fire alarm call points
- the location of all fire extinguishers
- the escape routes from the building
- the designated assembly points
- any refuges where residents can wait for assistance
- and any fire protected rooms where they may be able to remain for a limited time.
Taking care
Dangerous fires must always be left to the fire and rescue service and no member of staff or untrained individual should attempt to tackle a fire which is out of control. If one extinguisher fails to put out the fire and the fire continues to grow this is a key warning. Other dangers include the proximity of gas cylinders or pressurised containers to the fire, gas burning from an open pipe or cylinder valve, explosive or toxic materials nearby, or the involvement of a metal such as magnesium. All these elements could potentially lead to explosions and are a serious threat to life. Members of the fire and rescue service are highly trained and equipped to deal with these dangers, therefore it is imperative that such situations are left to be safely and effectively handled by the experts.
Care homes are deemed to be high risk premises and because there is likely to be varying dependency amongst residents, there is not a general fire prevention plan to suit all. Training staff and making sure people are aware of the potential hazards and how to avoid risks is a top priority. At the end of the day, the best plan in the world is of no use if staff are unaware of it and unable to implement it.
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Carl Pearce is the fire safety trainer at the FPA and has over 30 years' experience training delegates.