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Evacuation

Theme 9

Evacuation

Last updated: 20 May 2022

Recommendation

33.22a

That the government develop national guidelines for carrying out partial or total evacuations of high-rise residential buildings, such guidelines to include the means of protecting fire exit routes and procedures for evacuating persons who are unable to use the stairs in an emergency, or who may require assistance (such as disabled people, older people and young children).

Progress date:

February 2024

Responsible for completion:

  • Government

Progress

Status

Complete

The Inquiry recommended that the Government develops national guidelines for carrying out partial or total evacuations of high-rise residential buildings. In December 2019, a joint Home Office and Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities technical steering group was set up to support a research project to review means of escape provisions in blocks of flats including the use of the ‘stay put’ strategy and evacuation.

The work, including operational research has been undertaken and completed. The reports stemming from the research on operational, building and human behaviour include: 

  • A Home Office summary report of operational research carried out by the University of Central Lancashire (UClan) was publish on 5 February 2024. 
  • A report on human behaviour which has been published by OFR Consultants in May 2023. 
  • A report on building design will be published by OFR which is anticipated to be Spring 2024.
  • The Evacuation from fire in high-rise residential buildings: a rapid evidence review was published by the Home Office in November 2022.

The evacuation guidelines have been drawn from the reports and research listed above as well as related work. The guidelines were passed to NFCC in December 2023 and have been published on 5 February 2024. 

Recommendation

33.22b

That fire and rescue services develop policies for partial and total evacuation of high-rise residential buildings and training to support them.

Progress date:

November 2023

Progress

Status for fire and rescue services

In progress

Status for London Fire Brigade

Complete

The full implementation of this policy is dependent on the completion of recommendation 33.22a, that the government develop national guidelines for carrying out partial or total evacuations of high-rise residential buildings, which is in progress.

In December 2019, the National Fire Chiefs Council (NFCC) published the reviewed guidance that provides information for fire and rescue services to change evacuation strategies and perform mass rescue, based on advice and information from fire and rescue service leads. This has undergone significant scrutiny and been subject to external review by health and safety consultants.

In October 2023, the NFCC surveyed all fire and rescue services (with the exception of the LFB) in England about their progress against the recommendations. In response to recommendation 33.22b:

  • 95% of services (41 services) have completed the recommendation and have reported that they have reviewed their policies relating to evacuation, instigated changes, and trained personnel. This represents a 7% increase from previous NFCC survey completed in March 2023.
  • 2% of services (one service) have reported they have made changes and trained staff but have not completed assessments. It is expected that this will be completed December 2023.
  • 2% of services (one service) have made the necessary policy changes but are still training its staff. It is expected that this will be complete (including assessments) by April 2025.

On performing training exercises relating to evacuation:

  • 95% of services (41 services) have trained and assessed all staff in evacuation policies since the Grenfell Tower fire and have conducted training exercises to embed learning from these policies.
  • 5% of services (two services) have trained all staff but have not performed live exercises in a high-rise building.

 

 

The London Fire Brigade (LFB) has reported that recommendation 33.22b has been completed.

The LFB has developed an Evacuation and Rescue policy (published on 31st March 2021), alongside the revised Fire Survival Guidance policy. The Evacuation and Rescue policy has been shared with the NFCC’s High Rise Firefighting working group to support sector wide learning.

Training on the new policy has been provided to all operational staff via computer-based training packages and face to face training for Watch and senior officers. This training is reinforced by guided learning exercises for station-based staff.

 

Recommendation

33.22c

That the owner and manager of every high-rise residential building be required by law to draw up and keep under regular review evacuation plans, copies of which are to be provided in electronic and paper form to their local fire and rescue service and placed in an information box on the premises.

Responsible for completion:

  • Government

Progress

Status

In progress

The Government consulted on its proposals to address this recommendation in its Fire Safety consultation (carried out in 2020) and again in the Emergency Evacuation Information Sharing Plus (EEIS+) consultation in 2022. The Government is in the process of producing its formal response to the EEIS+ consultation which will lay out, in more detail, how this recommendation will be addressed. Details of the draft proposals, as consulted upon, can be found here.

 

Recommendation

33.22d

That all high-rise residential buildings (both those already in existence and those built in the future) be equipped with facilities for use by the fire and rescue services enabling them to send an evacuation signal to the whole or a selected part of the building by means of sounders or similar devices.

Progress date:

TBC

Responsible for completion:

  • Government

Progress

Status

In progress

The Government agrees that these three measures identified by the Phase 1 report - wayfinding signage, evacuation alert systems and sprinklers - need additional consideration. In May 2020, the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities published amendments to Approved Document B (ADB) to recommend sprinkler systems and consistent wayfinding signage in all new blocks of flats with storeys over 11 metres tall. A further update to ADB, announced by DLUHC on 1 June 2022, has been introduced so that new residential developments over 18 metres in height will have to incorporate evacuation alert systems.

The NFCC has developed guidance and training packages to support the introduction and use of British Standard (BS) 8629 compliant Evacuation alert systems. 53% of services (23 services) have used this product to train their staff.

The London Fire Brigade (LFB) has implemented training for relevant operational staff relating to evacuation alert systems and considers this action complete from a Brigade perspective.

The Home Office is currently developing an evidence base of existing evacuation alert systems in high-rise residential buildings.  This will inform the next step of work, addressing evacuation alert systems in existing high-rise residential buildings.

Recommendation

33.22e

That the owner and manager of every high-rise residential building be required by law to prepare personal emergency evacuation plans (PEEPs) for all residents whose ability to self-evacuate may be compromised (such as persons with reduced mobility or cognition).

Responsible for completion:

  • Government

Progress

Status

In progress

The Government consulted on proposals to address these recommendations in the 2020 Fire Safety consultation, the 2021 PEEPs consultation, and the 2022 EEIS+ consultation which ran from 18 May to 21 August 2022. The Government is in the process of producing its formal response to the EEIS+ consultation which will lay out, in more detail, how these two recommendations will be addressed. Details of the draft proposals, as consulted upon, can be found here.

 

Recommendation

33.22f

That the owner and manager of every high-rise residential building be required by law to include up-to-date information about persons with reduced mobility and their associated personal emergency evacuation plans (PEEPs) in the premises information box.

Responsible for completion:

  • Government

Progress

Status

In progress

The Government consulted on proposals to address these recommendations in the 2020 Fire Safety consultation, the 2021 PEEPs consultation, and the 2022 EEIS+ consultation which ran from 18 May to 21 August 2022. The Government is in the process of producing its formal response to the EEIS+ consultation which will lay out, in more detail, how these two recommendations will be addressed. Details of the draft proposals, as consulted upon, can be found here.

 

Recommendation

33.22g

That all fire and rescue services be equipped with smoke hoods to assist in the evacuation of occupants through smoke-filled exit routes.

Responsible for completion:

  • Fire and Rescue Services

Progress

Status for fire and rescue services

Complete

Status for London Fire Brigade

Complete

In August 2022, the National Fire Chiefs Council (NFCC) surveyed all FRSs (with the exception of the LFB) in England about their progress against the recommendations.

For this recommendation, all 43 services who responded to the survey reported that they have acquired smoke hoods and they are operationally available, as well as staff are trained in how to use them.

London Fire Brigade has reported that this recommendation is complete. The Brigade implemented smoke hoods on all its front-line appliances in November 2018.