HHS fire safety

Fire Safety Awareness Care Homes

HAMILTON HEALTHCARE SOLUTIONS

HEALTH & SOCIAL CARE TRAINING

James Hamilton - RMN

• FIRE SAFETY AWARENESS • CARE HOMES • CLIENTS SAFETY • YOUR SAFETY

04/12/2016 Presented by Hamilton Healthcare Solutions Ltd 2

Three Point Training

• This training program is to be the first part in a three point training program that will give staff a full understanding of Fire Safety and what to do in the event of a fire.

• First session will be delivered by James Hamilton covering Fire Awareness and Safety in Care Homes.

• Second session will be delivered by a nominated person who will show all staff fire exists, fire board and complete fire drills.

• Third session will be a nominated Company demonstrating and discussing the correct use of fire extinguishers.


Aims and Objectives of Training Session

1. Understand what causes fires.

2. What are the risks of fire in Care Homes.

3. Risk assessments.

4. Evacuation plans.

6. Legal obligations of staff management.

7. Fire drills.


Rose Park Care Home

• A fire started in Rose Park Care Home on the 31st January 2004.

• The fire started in an electrical box.

• Fourteen residents died. Ten residents died within 7-8 minutes of the fire starting.

• All fatalities were on the ground floor. Smoke inhalation was the cause of death.

• Distance to the fire station 0.7 miles, journey time 109 seconds.

• These residents did not need to die, it could have been prevented.


It could happen to any Care Home


A Fire Needs Three Elements To Exist

• FUEL: Fuel for a fire is anything that will burn when exposed to heat fuel sources. This includes paper, wood, oil, chemicals and flammable liquids.

• HEAT: The leading heat sources that cause full sources to burn are electricity, cigarettes, friction and sunlight.

• OXYGEN.

• Combine all three elements and you have got the correct combination for fire and death.

• If you eliminate one of these three sources you will reduce the risk of fire and loss of life in your Care Home.


Fire Prevention

• Do not block fire exits call points or extinguishers.

• Do not wedge fire doors open. This was one of the factors in the Rose Park deaths.

• Safe storage and correct temperature of chemicals.

• Regular PAT testing.

• Strong no smoking policy.

• Report any bad practice or risks to line management.

• Daily walk rounds.

• Regular fire drills.

• Staff training.

• Using fire resistant materials.

• Nominated fire marshals.

• Think safe, be safe.


• Care Homes present a major problem in respect of fire and evacuation, so clients are risk assessed at three different levels of dependency.

• This should be reflected in care plans, risk assessments and evacuation plans.

• Low Dependency: residents who have the physical and mental capability to respond to a fire emergency and exit the premises unaided or with minimal staff assistance.

• Medium Dependency: residents who require physical assistance or guidance from staff members to respond appropriately in a fire.

• High Dependency: residents who are totally dependent on staff and may require the assistance of two or more staff in a fire emergency.

• With the risk assessment of clients, dependency should be recorded and updated.

• 1) A fire register containing up to date operational information on residents for use during a fire evacuation.

• 2) The care plan and risk assessment of each client.


Risk to Clients

Evacuation Plans

• There is two recognized evacuation strategies for Care Homes.

• Immediate Evacuation: describes the situation where fire is discovered, involves the immediate evacuation of the whole building.

• This process will be planned and implemented with Emergency Fire Action Plan.

• Progressive Horizontal Evacuation: evacuation in a controlled sequence with those within the building who are at greatest risk being evacuated directly to another part of the building through fire doors where they will be safe for a time depending on the fire doors.


Emergency Fire Action Plan is a Legal Requirement

• What is it.

• Who’s responsibility is it.

• An emergency fire action plan sets out the actions that staff and other people in the premises should take in the event of a fire.

• It is management responsibility to have in place comprehensive emergency fire action plan specific to the premises and to have in place arrangements to implement it.


Emergency Fire Action Plan

• How people will be warned if there is a fire.

• What staff should do if they discover fire.

• What staff should do in the event of a fire alarm sounding.

• The arrangement for calling the fire service.

• The actions to be taken by the person in charge.

• Arrangement for fighting fire by staff.

• Isolating fire.

• The process to be followed to evacuate the premises.

• Who meets the fire service.

• Emergency arrangements if necessary to evacuate all residents.

• Where should staff and residents assemble.

• Checklist of all residents.


What is Grab Bag

• A grab bag will have:

• Names and level of dependency of each resident.

• Emergency contact numbers i.e. manager, next of kin.

• Thermal blankets.

• Plans of the building.

• Torches.

• Mobile phone with pre-programmed numbers.

• Evacuation plan to move residents to temporary accommodation.


Progressive Evacuation Plans

• When a fire and alarm has been given a progressive/horizontal evacuation will involve:

• Carrying out an assessment of the situation to determine the fire location and who may be at immediate risk.

• Deciding if there is a need to evacuate the sub-compartment involved.

• Deciding if there is a need to evacuate any other persons threatened by the fire.

• Progressive movement of residents to lower risk areas as needed as the situation develops.


Compartments and Sub Compartments

• A fire compartment is part of a building that is constructed to provide a physical fire resisting barrier to prevent the spread of fire and smoke to or from another part of the building.

• A sub compartment is to aid progressive evacuation.

• Fire resistance of compartment walls, floors and doors will keep the clients safe for 60 minutes.

• In units with medium or low dependency where no residents are sleeping above the ground floor at least 30 minutes.

• Sub compartments walls and doors at least 30 minutes.


Fire Drills

• Staff may not follow appropriate actions in an emergency if they have never experienced a fire drills .

• Fire drills are carried out to check that staff understand and are familiar with the operation of the emergency fire action plan.

• Fire drills should take place at least twice a year, dayshift and night shift.

• Each member of staff should participate at least once a year.

• Fire drills are carried out to reflect what could happen in a fire, how staff respond and update any training or weaknesses in the process of raising the alarm or evacuating residents.


The Law for Fire Safety

• Section 61 (2) of the Fire (Scotland) Act 2005.

• Revised February 2014.

• Who does this law affect: the responsibility for complying with fire safety duties in a Care Home is with the employer and other persons who operate or have control of the premises, mangers, owners and staff.


Health and Safety at Work Act 1974

• It shall be the duty of every employer to ensure so far as reasonably practical the health, safety and welfare at work of all employees.

• It is the duty of all employees to take reasonable care for the health and safety of yourself and others at work, this extends to co-operating to fulfill its legal duty.

• This means staff have a professional obligation to attend training and work within systems of work put in place by their employer.


Practical Fire Safety

• All information and guidance in this training session has been taken from Scottish Government publication, published February 2014.

• Practical Fire Safety Guidance for Care Homes in terms of the section 61 (2) of the Fire (Scotland) Act 2005

• ISBN: 978-1-78412-204-8


HHS fire safety

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