Specific Fire Safety

Specific Fire Safety

Emergency Arrangements

Project Name

The management of this premises have received suitable training in Fire Safety Matters and demonstrated their proficiency in implementing these procedures.

Contents

1.0Introduction

2.0Fire alarm system

2.1Location and type of detectors

3.0Fire doors and door closing systems

4.0Fire extinguishers

5.0Responsibilities

5.1The Duty Co-ordinator

5.2Other Staff

6.0Fire Emergency Procedure

6.1On Discovering a Fire

6.2When the fire alarm is activated

6.3On Hearing the Alarm

6.4When outside the building

6.5On leaving the building

6.6On discovering a fire or smoke

6.7On hearing the fire alarm

6.8When outside the building

7.0False alarm (For Care Homes)

7.1Suspected False / Unwanted fire alarm actuation (For HMOs)

8.0Immediate or Progressive Evacuation

9.0Dependency of residents / service users

10.0Fire Register Information

11.0Staff Training and records

11.1Training Records

Please amend this document to suit your Project, entering or deleting text shown in red as appropriate.

1.0Introduction

This document has been prepared by NAMEand details the fire safety emergency procedures forPROJECT NAME, a Care Home / House in Multiple Occupation (HMO).* delete as appropriate

Project Name is home to Numberservice users withNature of Disability.Provide a description of the accommodation. Care Home example: The accommodation is modern and spacious and the majority of the residents have single en suite rooms and all share communal areas. The staffing ratio reflects the individualised care and the atmosphere is warm and friendly.

Or

HMO example: The house is on 2 levels, with the ground level containing a living and dining area, conservatory, kitchen and laundry room, hallway and a bedroom with an en-suite bathroom. The staircase leads to one bathroom and 2 service users’ bedrooms and 1 staff sleep over room. The staffing level reflects statutory requirements and the individual support needs of service users.

It is recognised by The Mungo Foundation that this and all other residential care premises managed by the Organisation have to be as safe as practicable from fire. The Director of Operations will ensure that managers and staff are provided with suitable information, instruction and training to know how to protect service users, members of the public and themselves from injury or death if a fire breaks out.

Operationally, the Project provides support on a “three –shift”basis and where necessary, the emergency procedures have been designed to accommodate all work patterns.

These procedures are broadly based upon “Practical Fire Safety Guidance for Care Homes / Small Premises Providing Sleeping Accommodation”issued by the Scottish Government and the Mungo Foundation’s in-house “Fire Register”with supplementary material.

2.0Fire alarm system

Provide a description of the fire alarm system. Care Home example: The fire alarm and detection system within this premises incorporates a control panel, sounders, call points (break glass), smoke and heat detectors. The detection system is based on a “three zones” scale (identified in the floor plan).

Or

HMO example: The fire alarm and detection system within this premise incorporates smoke detectors.

2.1Location and type of detectors

Provide a description of the location and type of detectors within the premises. Care Home example: The fire detection system within the premises consists of a variety of bothsmoke and heat detectors (see attached floor plan).

Or

HMO Example: The fire detection system within the premises consists of smoke detectors located in most rooms.

3.0Fire doors and door closing systems

Provide a description of the fire doors and door closing systems within the premises. Care Home example: The fire doors in each of the corridors are controlled by electro-magnetic closing devices that will be released automatically on a full alarm activation. The corridor fire doors create protected areas to assist with a progressive evacuation if necessary.

Or

HMO example: There are fire doors from each of the rooms leading to the corridors. The corridor fire doors create protected areas to assist with an immediate evacuation.

4.0Fire extinguishers

Emergency fire-fighting equipment is checked, inspected and readily available for use (see attached floor plan– Care Home example). Fire extinguishing equipment is located in the kitchen, lower hall and upper hall – HMO example.

5.0Responsibilities

5.1The Duty Co-ordinator

The safety of service users, members of the public and staff is the responsibility of the Project Manager or in their absence the delegated co-ordinator (Care Homes) or a Senior Project Worker or Project Worker(HMO). A manager or co-ordinator must be present on the premises at all times (Care Homes)or all project staff are readily available to take charge in the event of an alarm or fire(HMO).

5.2Other Staff

5.2.1 There will be proficient staff on duty during the whole time that residents / service users and others are on the premises. These staff members are instructed as to their specific responsibilities in the event of fire or other emergency.

5.2.2 The primary duty of the staff members is to ensure that safe conditions are maintained in the home. In order to achieve this, they must:-

a)Ensure that no overcrowding occurs in any part of the premises.

b)Keep all entrances and exits clear at all times.

c)Be aware of any special requirements needed to ensure the safe evacuation of the building.

d)Maintain a high standard of housekeeping.

e)Ensure escape routes are kept free from obstruction.

6.0Fire Emergency Procedure

For Care Homes:

6.1On Discovering a Fire

• Raise the alarm immediately by activating the nearest break glass call point
• Report to the Internal Assembly point – front door, hallway
• Start the emergency evacuation process
• Call the Fire and Rescue Services – dial 999
• Close doors and windows on leaving the building if it is safe to do so,
• Only use fire extinguishers when it issafe to do so and you are confident in doing so and you have been instructed on the safe use of extinguishers.

Under no circumstances must staff put themselves in danger.

6.2When the fire alarm is activated

When the alarm is activated either from the operation of a smoke or heat detector head or a break glass point, an alert will be sounded (e.g. klaxon/siren/bell). The signal will be transmitted to the main Fire Control Panel which will display which zone has been affected. At the same time, all door release mechanisms will activate creating separation of the corridor compartments.

6.3On Hearing the Alarm

All Managers and staff will report to the internal assembly area (specify location)to receive instructions from the Duty Co-ordinator. At this stage:

a)The Duty Co-ordinator will instruct staff on the type of evacuation required - Immediate or Progressive and;

b)The Duty Co-ordinator willnominate a member of staff to phone the Fire and Rescue Services

It is essential to remain calm throughout the fire evacuation procedure. By setting an example to others you can minimise the possibility of persons being injured due to panic.

6.4When outside the building

• Conduct a roll call of all occupants
• Do not re-enter the building until advised by the Fire Officer that it is safe to do so.
• The Project Manager or the duty co-ordinator must meet the Fire and Rescue Service on their arrival and inform them of:

the roll call status

the identified zone where the alarm was activated

any known existing fire hazards.

6.5On leaving the building

• Do not panic
• Follow instructions
• Do not delay your departure by collecting personal belongings
• Make your way towards the external assembly point – specify location

For HMOs:

6.6On discovering a fire or smoke

• Raise the alarm immediately by verbal communication
• Report to the nearest fire exit, either the back or front door
• Start the emergency evacuation process
• Call the Fire and Rescue services – Dial 999
• Only use fire extinguishers when it is safe to do soand you are confident in doing soand you have been instructed on the safe use of extinguishers.

Under no circumstances should staff put themselves in danger.

6.7On hearing the fire alarm

• Do not panic
• There will be a duty co-ordinator for each shift. The staff team will decide who this will be and make sure the person is aware at the start of the day. The Duty Co-ordinator will:

Dial 999 to alert the fire brigade

Commence the immediate evacuation of the building

Organise any staff working with them to evacuate a section of the house (i.e. the upper floor or the lower floor) or if working by themselves, evacuate progressively based on where the fire is

Support people to the nearest exits.

• All staff are responsible for closing all doors after a room has been cleared or found to be empty.
• If someone refuses to leave the building, attempts should be made to keep them safe. Staff should leave them in the room they refuse to leave, with the door closed.
• Do not delay your departure by collecting personal belongings.
• Everyone should assemble at the designated fire assembly point – on the pavement next to the telephone pole at the front of the house.
• The Duty Co-ordinator should then contact house 27 to advise them of the situation and request additional support if required, also asking that they contact the on-call manager to inform them of the situation, including the head count status and any known existing fire hazards.
• Once the Fire Services arrive, the Duty Co-ordinator should inform them of the situation. If they have not already been, service users can now be supported to go to house 27.

6.8When outside the building

A head count will be taken at the assembly point.

Staff must not put themselves or others in danger and providing it is safe to do so, adhere to instructions from the Duty Co-ordinator.

DO NOT RE-ENTER THE PROPERTY UNTIL INSTRUCTED TO DO SO BY THE FIRE SERVICES.

7.0False alarm (For Care Homes)

In the event of a false alarm the manager/duty co-ordinator will silence the alarm and await the Fire and Rescue Service who will instruct the resetting of the alarm.

Only if the activated detector and the source of the activation can be clearly identified will the Duty Co-ordinator declare a false alarm situation. In these circumstances there will be no requirement to evacuate the premises, although the staff will remain on full alert until the Fire and Rescue Servicearrive. In the event of a false alarm the system must be reset and the manager must closely monitor the area for a further hour after the incident, taking any action as necessary.

7.1Suspected False / Unwanted fire alarm actuation (For HMOs)

Only if the activated detector and the source of activation can be clearly identified will the staff member declare a false alarm situation. In these circumstances there will be no requirement to evacuate the premises, although staff will remain on full alert.

8.0Immediate or Progressive Evacuation

One or other of these strategies may be appropriate for PROJECT NAME, the appropriateness of which depends principally on the capability of residents, the potential for staff to assist with evacuation and the configuration and construction of the home.

Immediate evacuationdescribes a situation where, upon discovery of a fire and a warning being given, the emergency fire action plan involves immediate evacuation of the building.

Progressive evacuationdescribes a situation where, upon discovery of a fire and a warning being given, the predetermined emergency fire action plan involves:

Carrying out an “on the spot”assessment of the situation to determine where the fire is and who is at immediate risk;

Evacuating those residents /service users considered immediately at risk to a separate compartment or sub-compartment on the same floor; and

Progressive movement ofresidents / service users, towards full evacuation and/or away from danger, as the situation develops.

For many care homes, the existence of high dependency residents will favour adoption of a progressive evacuation strategy due to the difficulty in movement and extended evacuation time, but this should be accompanied by suitable fire safety measures which will ensure that the development and spread of fire is restricted, that early warning of fire is given, and that prompt response and appropriate action by staff is taken.

Should a fire occur where there are high dependency residents, the plan is likely to require consideration of evacuation of the sub-compartment involving using the principle of progressive evacuation.

9.0Dependency of residents / service users

The term dependency is used to describe a resident / service user’s ability to understand and physically respond to an emergency situation e.g. fire alarm activation. In this context, three categories of dependency are used - high, medium and low.

Low dependency describes residents / service users who have the physical and mental capability to respond to a fire emergency and exit the premises unaided.

Medium dependency describes residents / service users who either:

a)Will require physical assistance or guidance from a staff member to respond appropriately in a fire emergency;or

b)Can exit the premises unaided but will take an extended time to achieve this.

High dependency describes residents / service users who are totally dependent on staff and may require the assistance of two or more staff members in a fire emergency.

The Mungo Foundation will determine the level of care to be provided in their premises and through the risk assessment process with Project Managers specifically identify the dependency level of the residents /service users that wish to live in or visit the home. Managers will also be mindful of the potential changes that service users may incur to their physical and mental ability over time.

Please see each service user’s Personal Emergency Evacuation Plan (PEEP) which shows their evacuation needs. Specify where they can be located, e.g. in a PEEP Folder in the Project Manager’s office.

The provision of fire safety measures and readily available staff will be influenced by the fire risk assessment incorporating the dependency category of service users.

10.0Fire Register Information

To assist the Project Manager with their responsibility for fire safety in thispremises, a Fire Register has been issued for recording and monitoring all current fire safety arrangements.

The Project Manager of the premises will take effective control of the Register to ensure that a satisfactory and consistent standard of fire precautions prevail at all times.

The Register must be immediately available for inspection by any inspecting authority.

The Fire Register is an integral part of the Fire Safety Management System and ensures that the legal requirement placed on the Mungo Foundation to provide and maintain proper records relating to fire safety is satisfied. Complying with legal requirements to record fire safety arrangements should not be considered as the only motivator in isolation as the Fire Register also encourages best practical fire precautions for the saving of life.

It is acknowledged that a fire can start almost anywhere at any time where there is a source of heat or flame to get out of control, any material that will burn, and sufficient oxygen in the air to support combustion.

Frequent and proper use of the Fire Register will assist in limiting the risk of possible injury, loss of life, and damage to the property should a fire occur.

Managing day-to-day fire precautions and maintaining the Fire Register will be achieved by the Project Manager appointing trained staff to perform the required inspections and tests.

11.0Staff Training and records

All training should support the fire safety strategy and emergency fire action plan, be verifiable and be supported by management records as evidence that adequate training has been given. Fire safety training should be specific to the premises, the dependency of the service users, and should include the following:

• Instruction on the operation of any fire alarm control panel installed within the building, with particular attention to the information displayed and how to interpret this information;
• The action to take on discovering a fire;
• How to raise the alarm and what happens then;
• The action to take upon hearing the fire alarm;
• The significant findings of the fire safety risk assessments;
• The measures that have been put in place to reduce the risk from fire;
• The identity of people nominated with responsibilities for fire safety;
• Any special arrangements for serious and imminent danger to persons from fire;
• The procedures for alerting visitors including, where appropriate, directing them to exits;
• The arrangements for calling the Fire and Rescue Service;
• The measures in place to ensure a safe escape from the building and how they will operate;
• The personal evacuation needs unique to each service user;
• The evacuation procedures for everyone in the building to reach an assembly point at a safe place;
• The principle of progressive evacuation (where appropriate);
• The fire prevention and fire safety measures and procedures in the premises and where they impact on staff and others in the building;
• The location and, where appropriate, the use of firefighting equipment;
• The location of the escape routes, especially those not in regular use;
• How to open all doors on escape routes, including the use of any emergency fastenings (and locks where appropriate);
• The importance of keeping fire doors closed to prevent the spread of fire, heat and smoke;
• The importance of good housekeeping;
• The risks from flammable materials used or stored on the premises; and
• The precautions to be taken to minimise and control the risks, with particular attention to their role in reducing and controlling fuel and ignition sources.

All operational staff working within the premises will be trained on fire safety.