Fire Risk and Evacuation Assessment
From the minute a fire alarm is sounded or an evacuation ordered, it is crucial you have an evacuation plan in place. A Fire Risk and Evacuation Assessment is a legal requirement that identifies potential fire hazards in a building, outlining how best to reduce or remove them.
If you own or manage a premises that is frequently occupied by five or more people, it is your duty to make sure they are aware of evacuation points and all the available exits. This applies to all staff and customers, and particularly those who are vulnerable, disabled, injured or who have mobility issues.
Two-to-three minutes is an unrealistic timeframe for a person with mobility issues, or vulnerabilities that may complicate attempts to evacuate a facility. Making sure occupants have an escape plan that considers the compartmentalised areas of the building, such as areas that are more resistant to fire or smoke, could buy them the time they need to escape safely.
Identify and remove the risks that lead to fire evacuation
A Fire Risk and Evacuation Plan includes a Fire Emergency Evacuation Plan (FEEP) documents and clearly identifies escape routes, emergency lighting and safe meeting points.
By identifying fire hazards, such as faulty electrical equipment, cooking, or portable gas heaters, as well as at-risk occupants, you can evaluate, reduce and remove risk to life. All findings must be recorded and documented as part of an effective Fire Risk and Evacuation Assessment.
Remember, it is no longer the responsibility of the fire brigade to evacuate people from refuge areas or safe havens and so, assigned safety officers and occupiers of the building must be responsible for assuring mobility impaired employees or customers are safely evacuated.
A plan that takes individual needs into account
If you have a responsibility for a premises or its occupants, then you must also ensure a Personal Emergency Evacuation Plan (PEEP) is generated for every person with a disability that may affect their ability to respond in an emergency. It is an important measure that outlines the adjustments necessary for maintaining their personal safety.
By taking into consideration an individual’s physical or mental abilities, you are able to ensure their safe exit from your premises, and as a result the efficient evacuation of all occupants.
Typical provisions include the identification of specially trained persons, evacuation refuge areas, ramps and evacuation chairs or similar evacuation aids. An evacuation chair is often employed as a means of quickly assisting a disabled or mobility impaired person from the premises. Designed to be easy to use, safe, compact and stable, an evacuation chair allows disabled or incapacitated individuals to be easily and safely moved down flights of stairs.
You should not carry anyone downstairs unless it is in equipment specifically designed to do so. Any other attempt to carry somebody downstairs carries a higher risk of injury, including physically over one’s shoulder. Should the individual concerned have an accident using their own method they risk blocking that exit for others intending to evacuate and also prosecution for creating an unnecessary blockage of fire exit routes and injury to their chosen passenger. Endangering their own life, that of the passenger and the incumbent firefighter looking to rescue two people now instead of one.
Explore our range of evacuation chairs here
In the event of a fire, remember that not all disability is visible
In practical terms, it’s important to consider that those who may require special assistance to vacate premises may extend beyond wheelchair users, and could also include individuals with partial mobility issues, visual impairments, the elderly or very young children.
Personal Emergency Evacuation Plans, (PEEPS) should be in place for any employee requiring assistance and this should also be adopted where you have regular customers using your premises who require assisted evacuation.
Ensure a safe, structured emergency evacuation
There are standards and regulations to follow for all businesses operating with disabled members of staff or with those who have mobility concerns. A large quantity of those people may be “mobility impaired” and these people are considered at-risk just as much as wheelchair users.
Your evacuation plan must accommodate the needs of people with both visible and invisible disabilities, and those with medical conditions such as asthma, diabetes or a heart condition. Mental health conditions such as anxiety, or learning conditions such as autism, and anybody injured as a result of the fire, or carrying a temporary injury whilst at the specific site.
In the UK, one in five of us have an invisible disability. Make sure you have considered all of the people with assistance needs in your premises. Where customers frequent large buildings such as hospitals, universities and other large public buildings, we can help you provide both a horizontal and a vertical evacuation plan. People moved away from the effects of the fire zone may be able to remain in the building, unless otherwise instructed to fully evacuate by the fire safety team due to the continuing status of the fire and its devastation of the building. Once a fire is underway at your premises, the Fire Safety Team and any Evacuation Chair Operators must conduct continuous fire risk assessments to ensure the safety of themselves and others when making any decisions that impact the safe evacuation of the building.
Training you in how best to put your plan into practice
If your organisation chooses to use evacuation or escape chairs as part of its evacuation procedures, it’s also essential to ensure any such apparatus is properly maintained, and that designated persons (for example any appointed fire marshals or fire wardens) are properly trained in the safe use of the equipment.
Our team of evacuation specialists offer full evacuation chair training for members of staff to ensure your business meets regulatory requirements. We offer a range of evacuation chairs and related emergency equipment, as well as providing advice and support on the products suitable for your business as part of our Fire Risk and Evacuation Assessment.
We will also deliver the training you require to ensure the long-term safety of use and adherence to evacuation chair legislation.
FAQs
How often should I review my Fire Risk and Evacuation Assessment?
You should review your fire risk assessment every 12 months, and complete a new assessment every five years. You should also make a review if you make substantial changes to the premises, such as a change in layout, purpose or occupants.
Who should do it?
Anybody with responsibility for a building, such as the owner, employer or occupier. These people have a duty to arrange a Fire Risk and Evacuation Assessment, and to appoint a competent person to complete one.
What is my duty of care?
Under the Equality Act 2010 and other legislation, organisations have a particular duty of care to make reasonable adjustments or provisions for people on their premises who are at special risk due to disability, injury or other restrictions on mobility. A Fire Risk and Evacuation Plan is an integral part of this provision.