COMMUNITY CARE TRUST (SOUTH WEST) LTD
FIRE SAFETY
POLICY No HS003
POLICY STATEMENT
This Trust believes that people providing and receiving support should be as safe as
possible from the threat of fire or from injury in the case of an outbreak of fire. The Trust
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 and to ensure that appointed fire officers are in place in
accordance with the law.
AIM OF THE POLICY
This policy is intended to set out the values, principles and policies underpinning the
Trust’s approach to fire safety. The aim of the policy is to ensure that, as far as is
possible, fires are prevented and that, in the event of a fire, staff know exactly what to do
and how to react.
GOALS
The goals of the policy are:
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To minimise the risk of workplace fire by the use of adequate fire prevention and
risk assessment techniques.
To ensure all services have fire safety risk assessments in place with clear
auditing and monitoring systems
To ensure staff are trained in what to do in the event of a fire.
To ensure staff attend a fire drill at least annually.
To ensure that, in the event of a fire, the premises can be evacuated as quickly,
safely and efficiently as possible.
FIRE POLICY
On the discovery or suspicion of a fire:
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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 breakglass call point and by shouting “fire”.
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A call to 999 must be made by the member of staff nearest to a telephone to ask
for the fire service and provide information on individual safety plans where
relevant (mobility/visual/hearing/sedation issues)
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 and only if the alarm has first been raised.
In the event of a fire or of the fire alarm sounding:
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Evacuate the building immediately and go to the nearest designated fire
assembly point.
Remain as calm as possible and help all people on the premises to evacuate.
Where a person using services has an individual safety plan this should be
followed and the person reassured and informed (intercoms/mobile phones)
Where possible and safe to do so, check all rooms (in particular toilets) to ensure
no one remains in them or is trapped.
Close all doors/windows.
Ensure that any person not accounted for is immediately reported to the senior
staff member on duty or directly to a fire brigade officer.
People providing and receiving Trust services should:
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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 senior
staff on duty or by a fire brigade officer.
The senior member of staff on duty is responsible for ensuring that:
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The fire brigade has been called to any fire by dialling 999 and asking for the fire
service.
The fire brigade is met on arrival.
The staff nominal roll, service user roll and visitor book is removed from the
building and used to account for staff, service users and visitors by roll call.
Any person not accounted for is immediately reported to the fire brigade upon
arrival.
The senior member of staff on duty is responsible for:
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Supervising evacuation assembly points.
Carrying out roll calls.
Liaising with the fire brigade on arrival.
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Following all fire alarm procedures, incident forms must be completed recording
outcomes and submitted to the service manager and CEO. This includes drill
practice.
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 staff members and should
include:
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For fire drills – the times and dates of tests.
For fire fighting 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 unit manager 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 service is ……………
TRAINING
All people who use residential, hospital or network services will receive information on
fire procedures. 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 case of a fire at the premises. They should also be aware of how they must respond
in the event of an emergency. Staff are responsible for ensuring they complete Trust
training programmes as outlined within the Trust shared drive training schedule. Service
managers will oversee this process and provide reports in Governance meetings.
Residential and hospital services will organise a schedule for recording drills to improve
learning and outcomes will be reported in governance meetings.
Rohan Davidson is responsible for organising and co-ordinating on-line fire training.
All new and existing staff should know:
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Who is responsible for ensuring the correct fire procedure is carried out.
The location and usage of all fire extinguishers and where special extinguishers
(e.g. those suitable for use on electrical equipment) are located.
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The location of breakglass fire alarm points.
The emergency fire evacuation procedures and any specific individual safety
plans.
How to use the internal telephone systems to call for the fire brigade.
Team meetings should address and discuss learning outcomes identified within
governance meetings. Such general fire safety discussions 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.
MAINTENANCE
All services must ensure they have a nominated and regulated contractor with an agreed
schedule of maintenance work. All scheduled work must be recorded as complete within
the log book and copies of invoices retained for additional evidence information in the
relevant folder required for inspection and auditing purposes. Maintenance work should
include:
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Annual servicing of fire extinguishers
Annual servicing of all detectors
Annual servicing of fire panel
Review of fire evacuation notices within building
AUDIT AND MONITORING
All residential and hospital services will ensure systems are in place for monitoring
equipment and risk assessment:
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Weekly visual checks of fire extinguishers
Weekly checks of luminaries/emergency lighting systems
Daily checks of fire panel
Monthly Health and safety (including fire safety) checks
Annual Health and safety audit (including fire safety audit)
Weekly break glass checks which are rotated and can be scheduled for drill
practice
All the above systems need to be recorded in relevant files (Fire log books and H&S
files)
Date of last review:
Version number:
Date of next review:
May 2013
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May 2016
Signature …………………………………
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