Fire Risk Assessment for Care Homes
High-risk premises demand the highest standard of fire safety assessment
Why Care Home Fire Safety Is More Complex
Residents cannot self-evacuate — the assessment must reflect that reality
Note: The Care Quality Commission (CQC) inspectors expect to see a current, site-specific Fire Risk Assessment. An out-of-date or generic document will be flagged as a compliance concern.
Care homes are among the highest-risk premises covered by the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005. Residents may be unable to self-evacuate; many are bedridden, use wheelchairs or have cognitive impairments that affect their ability to respond to an alarm. This places an extraordinary duty on the Responsible Person to ensure fire safety arrangements are not just legally compliant, but genuinely effective for every individual in the building.
📜 Legal and Regulatory Context
Fire risk assessments in care homes are required under the Fire Safety Order 2005 and are also a key element of CQC inspections under the "Safe" domain. A failure in fire safety arrangements — particularly the absence of Personal Emergency Evacuation Plans (PEEPs) — is one of the most common contributors to "Requires Improvement" and "Inadequate" CQC ratings.
The Unique Fire Safety Challenges of Care Settings
Standard fire risk assessment approaches used for offices or retail premises are inadequate for a residential care environment. The following factors must all be explicitly addressed:
- Sleeping occupants — residents are present around the clock, including overnight when staffing levels are lower and response times slower
- Mobility impairment — a large proportion of residents cannot self-evacuate; horizontal evacuation and progressive horizontal evacuation strategies must be properly planned
- Cognitive impairment — residents with dementia may not respond appropriately to alarms, may become distressed, or may move towards rather than away from danger
- Medical equipment — oxygen concentrators, electric profiling beds and other electrical equipment increase both ignition risk and fire load
- Night-time staffing — reduced staff-to-resident ratios at night mean evacuation drills must test realistic overnight scenarios
- PEEP requirements — every resident who cannot self-evacuate must have a documented Personal Emergency Evacuation Plan, reviewed as their needs change
What Our Care Home Fire Risk Assessment Covers
- Full assessment of all fire hazards across the entire premises
- Escape route assessment — widths, distances, obstruction risks, handrails
- Compartmentalisation — fire door condition, self-closers, cavity barriers
- PEEP framework — documented process for creating and reviewing individual resident plans
- Staff training records review — evacuation drills including night-time exercises
- Fire detection system coverage — including sleeping areas and any extensions
- Emergency lighting — adequacy in corridors, stairwells and exits
- Oxygen and medical equipment risk — storage, use protocols
- Maintenance and testing records — alarms, extinguishers, emergency lighting
- Written report with prioritised action plan, suitable for CQC inspection
CQC-Ready Reports
Our written reports are structured to clearly demonstrate compliance with the Fire Safety Order and to address the specific evidence requirements CQC inspectors look for. Where actions are recommended, we prioritise them clearly — distinguishing between immediate, short-term and longer-term improvements — so that care managers can plan remediation proportionately.
Areas We Cover
We carry out fire risk assessments for care homes and supported living providers across Bedfordshire, Hertfordshire, Cambridgeshire, Huntingdonshire, North London and Essex.
Get a Free Quote for Your Care Home
We understand the regulatory pressures facing care providers. Our reports are thorough, clearly written and designed to support your CQC compliance — not add to your paperwork burden.
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