NAHFO
ANNUAL CONFERENCE
2011
FIRE EVACUATION
IN MENTAL HEALTH
– the Right Mix?
By
Alan Briggs
Fire Safety Specialist
ABOUT THE TRUST - 1
• Established on 1 April 2001
• One of only 3 Trusts of its kind in the country providing
the entire range of specialist mental heath services
• Services include:– Mental Health services for adults and older people
– People with Learning difficulties
– People with Substance misuse (drugs and alcohol) problems
– Low Secure Services at Rathbone Hospital in Liverpool
– Medium Secure Services at Scott Clinic in Rainhill, St Helens
– High Secure Services based at Ashworth Hospital in Maghull,
Liverpool
– Psychiatric Intensive Care Unit at Rathbone Hospital in
Liverpool
ABOUT THE TRUST - 2
• Contact with over 284,000 service users or carers per year
• Direct care to 21,200 people per year
• Employs 4,700 staff
• Dispersed across 34 sites (owned/rented)
• Has 700 in-patient beds on 13 sites
• Makes 45,000 outpatient attendances
• 18,000 day hospital attendances
• Serves population of one million for Liverpool, Sefton & Kirkby for
community and secondary care
• Provides Medium Secure Services for Merseyside and Cheshire
• Provides High Secure Services for the North of England and Wales
The
Area
We
Cover
SERVICE DELIVERY
Seven Clinical Business Units (CBU’s):• Addiction Services (Drugs/Alcohol)
• High Secure Services (Ashworth Hospital)
• Liverpool (Mental health services in Liverpool inc. PICU)
• Positive Care Partnerships (Mental heath services in Sefton, Kirkby
and North Liverpool)
• Rebuild (Learning difficulties, community residential/supported housing,
respite services and brain injury rehabilitation)
• Safe Partnerships (Medium and low secure Services and criminal
justice liaison teams)
• Specialist Management Services (All support services inc. fire safety)
FIRE SAFETY IN MERSEY CARE
Executive Director – Pending
Steve Bradbury – Head of Risk & Resilience
Trust Fire Safety Team
Fire Safety Specialist & Team Leader - Alan Briggs
alan.briggs@merseycare.nhs.uk tel. 0151 471 2287
Fire Safety Advisor - Mike Hamilton
MichaelJames.hamilton@merseycare.nhs.uk
Fire Safety Advisor - Mike Farrell
Michael.farrell@merseycare.nhs.uk
tel. 0151 471 2306
tel. 0151 471 2251
FIRE SAFETY – the set up
•
•
•
•
•
•
Five Year Forward Plan 2009 – 2014 (approved by
Board)
Fire Safety Policy
Fire Safety Management Group
Fire Link Persons in each CBU
Annual Performance Reports to the Trust Board
New Trust Fire Safety Team
And ALL staff
What Programmes do we deliver?
IT’S A CHALLENGE!!!
• Annual Fire Risk Assessment Programme (172)
• Annual Fire Evacuation Drill Programme (180) – inc. night
time visits
• Annual Fire Safety Training Programme (188)
– Induction (23)
– Mandatory (72)
– Fire Warden (41)
– Fire Marshall (27)
– Fire Fighting Equipment (16)
– Evac+ Chair (9)
WHAT ELSE DO WE DELIVER?
• Administrate the Fire Safety Management Group
• Fire Investigations
• Liaison with Estates/Consultants on new builds/refurbs
• Liaison with Merseyside Fire & Rescue Service
– Emergency Response – Major Exercise planning, 7.2.d visits
– Community Fire Safety – Pilot Project for Service users in
their homes
– Legislative Fire Safety – Fire Safety Audits and Unwanted Fire
Signal reduction initiatives
• Oversee Fire Safety Audits for each CBU
• Respond to Specific requests for advice, etc.
What is our Fire Safety MIX?
Just about the same as any other NHS Fire Safety Team BUT with particular
emphasis on the following:-
• Emergency egress and security– promoting the correct (key)
culture
– Keys for doors
– Fobs for doors
– Key pads for doors
– Mag locks
• Fire Alarm Cause & Effect Matrix – must be right!!!
• Fire Alarm Sounders – voice alert, especially where we have
introduced progressive horizontal evacuation (lower dB(A) – more
sounders)
Our Fire Safety Mix – cont.
• Extended Fire Alarm systems in In-Patient areas upgraded to L1
Plus
–Toilet Bathroom areas not covered inc. 90 second delays and voice
warning
• Key operated manual call points (staff fully involved in evac drills)
• Are our detectors in situ (regular staff fire safety checks documented)
• Extra Fire Alarm Repeater Panels
• Improved Fire Zones Plans (orientation)
• New Trust-wide Fire Alarm Panel Address logic – linked to
Estates policy
• Staff Panic Alarm system addressed as per the Fire Alarm system
• Improved Emergency Lighting
• Extra (Sub) Compartmentation – to aid what can be a difficult
evacuation
– Next Stage - considering unique solutions for unique situations
• Introduction of PEEPS
• Improved Staff fire safety training programmes (all evaluated)
IS THE MIX RIGHT?
It appears so at present:– 70% reduction in the number of fires over a
three year period – now running at about 1 per
month
– 25% reduction in the number of false alarms
over a two year period
– Overall Fire Safety training course evaluation
averaging 4.4 out of 5 (very, very good)
– No deaths
– Two injuries to staff (smoke inhalation)
– Improved Adverse (fire) incident reporting
SIMPLY - ITS ABOUT
THANK YOU & STAY (Fire)
SAFE!!
Alan Briggs
Trust Fire Safety Specialist
T: 0151 471 2287
M: 07970 800423
Email: alan.briggs@merseycare.nhs.uk