| The fire safety guidelines were published by NASHiCS in collaboration with CFOA |
New fire safety guidance measures for residential care homes have been published by two safety organisations.
The guidelines were released by the National Association for Safety and Health in Care Services (NASHiCS) in collaboration with the Chief Fire Officers' Association (CFOA) and are aimed at supplementing the current guide published by the Department for Communities and Local Government.
David Hulton, lead member of the NASHiCS fire safety working group, said that parts of the existing guidelines, called Fire Safety Risk Assessment - Residential Care Premises, needed "further clarification" to be understood within the context of the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005.
He added: "NASHiCS are very pleased that this guidance document is now being launched as it will provide valuable additional information for residential care premise operators."
One area of residential care homes' fire safety that the new guidelines aim to improve are the fire resistance of rooms which contain people who would be unable to escape in case of a fire, such as those who are physically disabled. As well as this, the guidelines address the evacuation of a protected zone, the use of external fire escapes and the travel distance of evacuation routes.Read the full guidance measures or the original CLG guide by clicking on the links.