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 steering group identified four strands to this work: an evidence review to assess academic evidence on methods of evacuation; operational research to test evacuation strategies; building design research to evaluate fire safety provisions in buildings; and human behaviour and public confidence to better understand public perception and understanding of evacuation strategies. The report for the first stage of work, a rapid evidence review on evacuation from fire in high-rise residential buildings has been published.

The Home Office, working closely with the National Fire Chiefs Council and London Fire Brigade, has commissioned research into FRS high rise residential building evacuation, which is intended to inform these national guidelines. Live testing took place in May 2022. The contracted research team has completed collating the data from these trials and is now analysing it to evaluate the outcome.

On the building design and human behaviour research strands, the supplier has conducted a literature review and interviews were conducted to:

1. Examine resident and FRS understanding of building evacuation guidance and the confidence they have in following that guidance in the event of a fire

2. Understand future developments in high-rise residential buildings that may impact fire safety designs in the future.

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 FRSs to change evacuation strategies and perform mass rescue, based on advice and information from FRS leads. This has undergone significant scrutiny and been subject to external review by health and safety consultants.

In August 2022, the NFCC surveyed all FRSs (with the exception of the LFB) in England about their progress against the recommendations. In response to recommendation 33.22b:

• 72% of services (31 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 42% increase from previous NFCC survey completed in March 2022.
• 23% of services (11 services) have made the necessary policy changes but are still training its staff. Training will be completed by April 2022.
• 4% of services (two services) reported they are currently making progress to implement the necessary policy changes.

On performing training exercises relating to evacuation:

• 67% of services (29 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.
• 28% of services (12 services) are currently in progress to conduct training exercise to embed learning from evacuation policies
• 5% of services (two services) have not planned to train staff in evacuation at this stage.

By April 2023, 95% of services (41 services) report they will have completed the necessary actions to address this recommendation.

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.

The Government consulted on its proposals to implement this recommendation in its Fire Safety Consultation (carried out in 2020). The Government responded to the consultation last year (link).

The consultation on Personal Emergency Evacuation Plans (PEEPs) which ran from 8 June to 19 July 2021 made clear that this recommendation is closely linked to those on PEEPs (33.22e & 33.22f) and in order to make sure that we deliver a policy solution on evacuation that is practical, proportionate and safe, we sought further views on implementing this recommendation as part of the Emergency Evacuation Information Sharing Plus consultation, held from 18 May-21 August 2022. Government is considering the responses to that consultation and will publish its response.

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.  

The Fire Safety (England) Regulations 2022 make provision for the retrospective fitting of wayfinding signage in high rise residential buildings.

The Government originally consulted on proposals to implement these recommendations in the Fire Safety Consultation, and in the PEEPs consultation which ran from 8 June to 19 July 2021. The Government’s response to that consultation can be found here (link). It shows that, despite widespread support for PEEPs and the proposals outlined, there remain significant issues with implementing them with regard to proportionality, practicality and safety.

We remain committed enhancing the safety of residents in high rise residential buildings whose ability to self-evacuate may be compromised, in a way that is proportional, practical and safe. The Government has consulted on an alternative package of initiatives in the Emergency Evacuation Information Sharing public consultation which ran from 18 May – 21 August 2022. We are now considering the responses to that consultation and will be publishing the government response.

The Government originally consulted on proposals to implement these recommendations in the Fire Safety Consultation, and in the PEEPs consultation which ran from 8 June to 19 July 2021. The Government’s response to that consultation can be found here (link). It shows that, despite widespread support for PEEPs and the proposals outlined, there remain significant issues with implementing them with regard to proportionality, practicality and safety.

We remain committed enhancing the safety of residents in high rise residential buildings whose ability to self-evacuate may be compromised, in a way that is proportional, practical and safe. The Government has consulted on an alternative package of initiatives in the Emergency Evacuation Information Sharing public consultation which ran from 18 May – 21 August 2022. We are now considering the responses to that consultation and will be publishing the government response.

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.