The Importance of Fire Safety in Care Homes

With people living longer, care homes to support the elderly and vulnerable are in more demand than ever before. Keeping safety procedures up to date is a key concern for all residences, and this is where the importance of fire safety in care homes really comes into its own. You want to be sure that in the event of a fire, not only is the right equipment to hand, but that care home staff are trained and competent in how to use it. It is imperative that the safety of both staff and residents is assured. FireCare Security & Electrical Ltd specialise in all things fire safety; from fitting fire extinguishers and conducting fire risk assessments, through to emergency lighting, fire safety training and more. This means that if you choose us as you preferred fire safety partner, you can rest assured that everyone working within your home will know exactly what to do during an emergency, and that all fire safety regulations in your care home are met – minimising your risk, protecting your staff and residents, and keeping you legal.

Fire Risk Assessments in Care Homes

The Guardian newspaper reported earlier this year that 57% of 177 London care homes failed a fire safety inspection in 2018.[1] Fire risk assessments are a legal obligation and need to be undertaken each year to make sure procedures and fire safety regulations in your care home are in order. To ensure that such a vital task is completed correctly, it is always worthwhile to contract fire safety professionals to complete your fire risk assessment for you.  Not only is an experienced fire risk assessor likely to identify potential risks that an untrained eye may overlook, but a professional will be able to recommend pragmatic yet effective ways to minimise your risk without incurring significant additional costs.

Fire risk assessments completed by FireCare will examine the following:

• Your current fire prevention measures
• How well you could communicate to those on-site in the event of a fire
• Your escape routes and fire evacuation measures. Are there clear escape paths? Do you complete regular fire drills? Do you have any vulnerable staff with special escape requirements?
• How well you could confine and suppress a fire
• The level of awareness and training among your staff in terms of what to do in the event of a fire

Having completed this assessment, we would then provide further information and make informed recommendations borne from significant experience to ensure you stay safe and legal.

Find out more and book your fire risk assessment.

Fire Safety Training in Care Homes

Fire safety in residential care homes is particularly important as not only do you potentially have responsibility for a high number of individuals, but evacuation procedures are more complex. It’s therefore important that training is kept up to date for existing and new staff, and this is precisely where our specialism can help.

From basic fire awareness through to fire warden and fire marshal training programmes, we come to your premises to conduct a tailored training session, following up with certification for the employees who undertake the sessions. Find out more about how you can improve the fire safety in your care home through our fire safety training.

If you need some general advice when it comes to fire safety in residential care homes, be sure have a read of our regulations and advice page, which will help you to understand everything you need to do in order to be compliant. And remember, if you have any questions, our expert team is happy to help. Call us on 02380 269833 or complete our contact form here.

[1] The Guardian newspaper – 3^rd February 2019.