Scope

  • Policy Statement
  • The Policy
  • Service Users’ Home
  • Housing of Multiple Occupation (HMO)
  • Stay Put Schemes

  • In the Organisation’s Premises

    • Fire Risk Assessment Protocol
    • Daily Checks
    • Weekly Checks
    • Annual Checks
  • Administrative Guidelines
  • Personnel
  • Related Policies
  • Related Guidance
  • Training Statement

Policy Statement

This organisation believes that staff and service users should be as safe as possible from the threat of fire or injury in the case of an outbreak of fire. The organisation believes that the best way to ensure this state of safety exists is to have robust fire policies and procedures in place, to ensure that staff are well trained to cope with an outbreak of fire or an alarm in a service users’ home and to ensure that appointed fire wardens are in place in accordance with the law in the organisation’s offices.

  • Act with the highest standards of care, probity and honesty at all times.
  • Respect service users’ rights to spend their own money in the way that they wish and to keep their financial affairs private.
  • Uphold service users’ rights to confidentiality regarding their financial information.
  • Only ever spend, use, carry, transport or invest a service user’s money according to the service user’s explicit instructions.
  • Never use credit/debit cards belonging to the service user and never accept, or try to obtain, their PIN.
  • Avoid giving service users financial advice or information, except what is reasonably required to fulfil their duty of care as set out in the plan of care.
  • Declare any financial or business arrangements that they have which may cause a conflict with or compromise their ability to handle a service user’s money honestly and impartially.
  • Report to their line manager any discrepancies or problems relating to service users’ money or finances immediately, including worries or concerns that a service user may be being cheated or defrauded by a third party, or has otherwise lost or mislaid money or valuables.

The Policy

This policy is intended to set out the values, principles and policies underpinning this organisation’s approach to fire safety. The organisation aims to ensure that, as far as is possible, fires are prevented and in the event of a fire, staff know exactly what to do and how to react.

The goals of the organisation are:

  • To minimise the risk of workplace fire by the use of adequate fire prevention and risk- assessment techniques.
  • To ensure that all staff understand what to do in the event of a fire.
  • To ensure that all staff attend fire training at least annually.
  • To ensure that, in the event of a fire, the organisation premises and service users’ homes can be evacuated as quickly, safely and efficiently as possible.

In Service Users’ Home

Staff should be aware of the following:

  • Escape routes.
  • Fire risks (smoking habits of service users, use of electric bar fires, etc.).
  • Evacuation risks (e.g. Is the service user immobile or disabled? Is the evacuation route restricted?).

Where evacuation or fire risks are assessed as high then professional fire advice should be sought. All Service users should be encouraged to adopt fire awareness behaviours and to install smoke alarms. Special evacuation arrangements can be made for service users with limited mobility, wheelchairs or sensory impairments.

Any service user who smokes is encouraged not to smoke in bed and they are informed of the specific dangers and risk to life to themselves and any others living in the property.

Staff are aware of the dangers of using flammable emollient creams when the service user is known to smoke in bed. Dropping cigarettes or matches onto clothing or bedding is dangerous but when flammable creams are involved, this increases the chance of a fire starting and becoming much more intense. The people most vulnerable to fires are older people and those with mobility problems and it’s exactly these service users who tend to rely on emollient creams.

Health professionals where possible may consider switching to prescribing non-flammable brands.
Note: In situations when service users using emollient creams have an airflow mattress, in effect, the bedding with the cream soaked in, acts as a wick and when the mattress comes into contact with a flame, the mattress essentially can act as a blow torch, intensifying the fire.

On the discovery of or suspicion of a fire, staff should:

  • Remain as calm as possible and raise the alarm immediately.
  • Evacuate the house immediately, helping any service users, visitors or relatives on the premises to evacuate as per the evacuation plan (PEEP).
  • Ensure that everybody who was in the house is accounted for.
  • Close all doors upon leaving.
  • Call the fire brigade, if not already done.
  • Ensure that any person not accounted for is immediately reported to a fire brigade officer on arrival.
  • Contact the organisation’s head office and report the fire.
  • Record the details of the incident in the Incident Book in the central office and fill out accident forms in the event of injuries.

Note: If the suspicion of fire is raised by seeing smoke coming from under a door, or by seeing smoke in a closed room, staff should on no account attempt to open the door but should raise the alarm and summon the fire brigade as quickly as possible.

Staff should:

  • Never stop to collect valuables or possessions.
  • Never use lifts (except for disabled stairlifts where there are no alternative means of transporting a service user downstairs).
  • Never open doors where they can see smoke coming through unless that is the only means of escape.
  • Never attempt to re-enter the building until told it is safe to do so by a fire brigade officer.

Housing of Multiple Occupation (HMO)

Generally, dependent on the size of the property supported living premises often have to be registered as an HMO. This is a different process regulated by an enforcement officer employed by the local authority. Their enforcement control includes fire; therefore, it is very important that where supported living accommodation is registered as an HMO, the full fire requirements from your LA must be adhered to and staff aware of their role and responsibilities. When staff are required to work in such registered premises, please ensure that the landlord’s fire controls are fully adhered to and shared with staff.

Stay Put Schemes

The National Fire Chiefs Council statement on the Stay Put Position.

“Fire and rescue services work with local authorities, developers, management committees and tenants to help ensure that the fire safety arrangements in high-rise accommodation are safe and appropriate.

The advice provided by fire and rescue services is based on effective fire safety arrangements that are required, proposed and then provided in the building – these include compartmentation of the building and suitably protected means of escape amongst others.
If there is a fire inside a flat or maisonette the advice is to alert all the people in the flat and leave the property and close all doors. They should follow a pre-determined escape plan and if there is a lot of smoke within the flat, people should crawl along the floor where the air should be clearer and the temperature cooler. They should always use the stairs rather than the lift and call 999 as soon as they are in a safe place.

If there is a fire elsewhere in the building then the structure of the flat, walls, floors and doors are designed to give appropriate protection. Responsible owners need to ensure that high-rise buildings are properly constructed and any refurbishment or maintenance is carried out to compliant standards of fire safety.

If there is a fire in the building, then service users are usually safer to stay in their own flat unless the heat or smoke from the fire is spreading. ‘Stay Put’ schemes are subject to specialist advice from the fire service and are always identified within the foyer of the building as a Stay Put Area. Always call 999 for advice and to ensure that the fire and rescue service along with attending emergency crews have been notified. Staff are made fully aware of any stay-put premises which they visit and are advised accordingly
The advice provided to tenants can and does change depending on the circumstances that present themselves at what are very dynamic incidents. The advice in this statement is part of a preventative approach to ensure a consistent approach is taken by fire and rescue services to assist tenants in developing an initial and safe escape plan.

Once a 999 call is made, and firefighters arrive at the fire, then the advice may be reinforced or changed, depending on the nature and development of the fire, the building and its tenants.
In the event of a fire you need to understand the procedures you must follow, if the building you are working in stay put.

In the Organisation’s Premises

On the discovery of or suspicion of a fire:

  • Staff should remain as calm as possible.
  • The first person aware of the fire or on the scene should raise the alarm immediately by operating the nearest break-glass fire alarm or by shouting ‘Fire’.
  • If the suspicion is raised by seeing smoke coming from under a door, or by seeing smoke in a closed room, staff should on no account attempt to open the door but should raise the alarm and summon the fire brigade as quickly as possible.
  • Small fires can be fought with the appropriate fire extinguisher, but only if safe to do so, if the individual has received training and if the alarm has already been raised.

In the event of a fire, or of the fire alarm sounding, staff should:

  • Evacuate the building immediately and go to the nearest designated fire assembly point.
  • Remain as calm as possible and help any service users, visitors, disabled persons, or contractors on the premises to evacuate.
  • Where possible and safe to do so, check all rooms (in particular toilets) to ensure nobody remains in them or are trapped.
  • Close all doors.
  • Ensure that any person not accounted for is immediately reported to the organisation manager (or deputy), nominated fire warden or directly to a fire brigade officer.

Staff should:

  • Never stop to collect valuables or possessions.
  • Never use lifts.
  • Never open doors where they can see smoke coming through unless that is the only means of escape.
  • Never attempt to re-enter the building until told it is safe to do so by the organisation manager (or deputy), by a nominated fire warden or by a fire brigade officer.

The organisation manager (or nominated fire safety warden) is responsible for ensuring that:

  • The fire brigade has been called to any fire by dialling 999 and asking for fire service.
  • The fire brigade is met on arrival.
  • The staff nominal roll and visitor book is removed from the building and used to account for staff and visitors by roll call.
  • Any person not accounted for is immediately reported to the fire brigade upon arrival.

The appointed fire safety wardens are responsible for:

  • Supervising evacuation assembly points.
  • Carrying out roll calls.
  • Liaising with the fire brigade on arrival.

It is the organisation’s policy that an appointed fire warden should be on duty at all times.

Fire Risk Assessment Protocol

The care needs assessor is responsible for carrying out fire risk assessments.
Individual home fire safety risk assessments are completed on any service user who is a smoker.

An initial home fire safety risk assessment is carried out immediately before the beginning of the service and is reviewed at the following times:

  • At or around 14 days after admission to the home.
  • Following a change in the residents’ health, mobility, medication, or general behaviour.
  • Following a change to the physical smoking arrangements at the home.
  • On an ongoing basis: every six months.

If the assessment identifies a danger, this is discussed with the service user and or their family along with the need for a referral to the local Fire and Rescue Service for a home fire safety visit to their home.

Northumberland Fire & Rescue Service – 0800 731 1351
Email – SWV.nfrs@northumberland.gov.uk
Home fire safety assessment is kept in the care/support plan.

Daily Checks (usually carried out at the close of day)

  • That all fire doors are closed.
  • That all fire exits and stairways are free of clutter.
  • That all unnecessary electrical equipment and heaters are turned off.
  • That storerooms or rubbish areas do not have smouldering fires.
  • The areas where contractors have been working are free of fire hazards.

Weekly Checks

  • That alarm systems function and can be heard in all parts of the building.
  • That all firefighting equipment is in good repair, are in place and in date.
  • Stocks of flammable materials or gases are kept to an absolute minimum and are stored safely away.
  • That all goods and boxes are safely stored away to minimize clutter, reduce the fuel available to fire and enable people to exit the building safely in the event of an emergency.
  • That all Fire Instruction and No Smoking notices are in place and have not been obscured.
  • That individual rooms do not contain obvious fire hazards such as overfull waste baskets or portable heaters placed close to curtains.
  • That all electrical equipment is free of obvious defects such as worn cables and exposed leads.
  • That organisation security arrangements are all in place discouraging arson.

Annual Checks

That fire alarm systems, smoke detectors, emergency lighting, sprinkler systems and firefighting equipment are serviced on an annual basis this is the responsibility of the buildings management company Prospect Estates Ltd. Initial contact is via Ian Freeman (Site Manager) 07974778791

Administrative Guidelines

Full records of fire precautions should be kept in the Fire Log. This information should be entered by the fire safety lead or by one of the nominated fire wardens and should include:

  • For fire drills: the times and dates of drills, and the time between sounding the alarm and the last person leaving the building.
  • For fire alarm tests: the times and dates of tests.
  • For firefighting equipment, alarms and fittings such as emergency lighting: the times and dates of inspections, of replacements and of servicing.
  • For training: times and dates of training events, who attended and what was covered.
  • The office administrator is responsible for ensuring that the staff and service user nominal rolls are kept up to date.

Personnel

  • The fire safety lead is responsible for ensuring that the correct fire procedures and arrangements are in place.
  • The fire safety lead for the organisation is the office administrator.
  • Fire wardens are responsible for supporting the fire safety lead.
  • The nominated fire warden for the organisation is the office administrator.
  • Nominated fire warden posts will be reviewed every year.

  • The organisation’s fire advisor is

    • Northumberland Fire & Rescue Service – 0800 731 1351

All new staff are encouraged to read the policy on fire safety as part of their induction process. All members of staff should be aware of the procedures in case of a fire at the organisation premises.
They should also all be aware of how they must respond in the event of an emergency.

All new and existing staff should know:

  • Who is responsible for ensuring the correct fire procedure is carried out.
  • Who the fire wardens are.
  • The location and usage of all fire extinguishers and where special extinguishers (e.g. those suitable for use on electrical equipment) are located.
  • The location of break-glass fire alarm points.
  • The emergency fire evacuation procedures.
  • How to use the internal telephone systems to call for the fire brigade.

In-house training sessions for existing staff should be arranged so that all relevant staff can attend a session every year.
Such general fire safety training should include instruction on fire prevention, on what to do in the event of a fire and on fire fighting. Records should be kept in the fire log of who attended each session. Staff who do not attend should be reminded to attend the next session. Additional training should be available for fire safety wardens.

Related Policies

Accidents, Incidents and Emergencies Reporting (RIDDOR)
Assessment of Need and Eligibility
Care and Support Planning
Health and Safety
Notifications
Risk Assessment

Related Guidance

Gov. uk: Fire safety in the Home:
www.gov.uk/government/publications/make-your-home-safe-from-fire

Age UK:
www.ageuk.org.uk/information-advice/care/home-safety/fire-prevention-gas-safety-and-electric-safety/

Your local fire and rescue service:
Northumberland Fire & Rescue Service – 0800 731 1351

Training Statement

All new staff should be encouraged to read the policy on fire safety as part of their induction process. All members of staff should be aware of the procedures in the event of a fire at the organisation premises or in the service users’ home.
They should also all be aware of how they must respond in the event of an emergency.

All new and existing staff should know:

  • Who is responsible for ensuring the correct fire procedure is carried out.
  • Who the fire wardens are.
  • The location and usage of all fire extinguishers, and where special extinguishers (e.g. those suitable for use on electrical equipment) are located.
  • The location of break-glass fire alarm points.
  • The emergency fire evacuation procedures.
  • How to use the internal telephone systems to call for the fire brigade.

Annual training sessions for existing staff are arranged so that all staff can attend a session every year.
Such general fire safety training should include instruction on fire prevention, on what to do in the event of a fire and on fire fighting.
Records should be kept in the fire log of who attended each session.
Staff who do not attend should be reminded to attend the next session. Additional training should be available for fire safety wardens.

Date Reviewed: May 2021
Person responsible for updating this policy: Carly Fortune
Next Review Date: May 2022