Vulnerable people fire risk
42 items
2 sources
Failure of social services and housing providers to proactively assess fire risks, identify vulnerable individuals, and implement preventative measures.
Cross-Source Insight
Vulnerable people fire risk has been flagged across 2 independent accountability sources:
9 inquiry recs
33 PFD reports
This issue has been identified by multiple independent accountability bodies, suggesting it is a recurring systemic concern.
Inquiry Recommendations (9)
FENN-63 — Extend smoking prohibition to all underground station areas, including staff and shops
Recommendation: The present prohibition on smoking shall be extended to all areas of stations wholly or partly below ground, including staff accommodation and shops.
Unknown
FENN-64 — Encourage non-smoking with warnings and provide stubbing bins at entrances
Recommendation: By audible and visual warnings London Underground must encourage passengers not to smoke. Stubbing bins shall be provided at station entrances.
Unknown
FENN-65 — Ban the sale of smokers' materials at all Underground stations
Recommendation: The sale of smokers' materials at Underground stations shall be banned.
Unknown
P1-28 — National guidelines for high-rise evacuations
Recommendation: 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 …
Gov response: The government accepted in principle all Phase 1 recommendations directed at central government. The Housing Secretary Robert Jenrick presented the formal response to Parliament on 21 January 2020, committing to new duties on building owners …
Accepted
Delivered
P1-32 — Require personal emergency evacuation plans (PEEPs)
Recommendation: 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).
Gov response: The government accepted in principle all Phase 1 recommendations directed at central government. The Housing Secretary Robert Jenrick presented the formal response to Parliament on 21 January 2020, committing to new duties on building owners …
Accepted in Part
In progress
P1-33 — Require PEEP information in premises information box
Recommendation: 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 PEEPs in the premises information box.
Gov response: The government accepted in principle all Phase 1 recommendations directed at central government. The Housing Secretary Robert Jenrick presented the formal response to Parliament on 21 January 2020, committing to new duties on building owners …
Accepted in Part
Delivered
P1-36 — Require understandable fire safety instructions
Recommendation: The owner and manager of every residential building containing separate dwellings (whether or not it is a high-rise building) be required by law to provide fire safety instructions (including instructions for evacuation) in a form that the occupants of the …
Gov response: The government accepted in principle all Phase 1 recommendations directed at central government. The Housing Secretary Robert Jenrick presented the formal response to Parliament on 21 January 2020, committing to new duties on building owners …
Accepted
Delivered
P2-10 — Require fire safety strategy from registered fire engineer at Gateway 2
Recommendation: That it be made a statutory requirement that a fire safety strategy produced by a registered fire engineer to be submitted with building control applications (at Gateway 2) for the construction or refurbishment of any higher-risk building and for it …
Gov response: The government accepts this recommendation. A fire safety strategy is already required with building control applications for the construction of and significant work to higher-risk buildings. The Building Safety Regulator will consider how to make …
Accepted
In progress
RONA-22 — Review regulations for storing explosive materials in high-rise residential blocks
Recommendation: The Regulations governing the storage of other potentially explosive materials in high blocks of flats should be reviewed {paragraph 173}.
Unknown
PFD Reports (33)
Jacqueline Joseph
Concerns: The housing association property had two incorrectly installed battery-operated smoke alarms, posing a fire safety risk.
Pending
Liam Allan
Concerns: Inadequate visibility of riverside buoyancy aids and slow, telephone-based police-to-fire service communication create critical delays in emergency response, increasing drowning risks.
Responded
Gabrielle Steel
Concerns: Critical fire safety assessment findings were not communicated by the London Fire Brigade to carers or family, preventing the implementation of a vital risk management plan for a vulnerable individual.
Responded
Paul Keating
Concerns: The local authority lacked statutory power to install sprinkler systems in private flats without consent, leading to one resident's flat remaining unconnected, which likely contributed to his fire-related death.
Responded
Christopher Evans
Concerns: A deficiency in the regulatory framework means vulnerable persons in supported HMOs are not protected from scalding risks, as no regulatory body assesses or requires thermostatic controls, unlike other health and social care settings.
Overdue
Brian Harfield
Concerns: There's a critical lack of compulsory fire safety provisions, such as sprinklers, in extra care facilities for vulnerable, immobile residents, leaving them at significant risk of death from fires.
Overdue
Reginald Cauthery
Concerns: A vulnerable person's telecare service was not reviewed despite increased fire risk, and smoke alarms were not connected to telecare, delaying emergency fire brigade notification.
Responded
Saima Usman
Concerns: Privately rented accommodation in Wandsworth is at increased fire and CO risk due to the lack of mandatory smoke/CO detectors, as the borough has no registered landlord scheme or enforcement powers.
Overdue
Daphne Holloway and Ivy Spriggs
Concerns: Sprinkler systems are not mandatory for care homes with residents of limited mobility, and these buildings aren't classified as 'Higher Risk Buildings' based on occupant vulnerability, leaving them at elevated fire risk.
Overdue
James Golds
Concerns: Inadequate guidance exists for managing fire risk in supported accommodation for vulnerable residents, exacerbated by no statutory sprinkler requirement and ineffective smoke detector placement.
Responded
Henry Boddy
Concerns: There is a gap in enforcement powers to effectively address fire risks in residential properties, specifically concerning fire loads arising from hoarding behavior.
Responded
Neil Barre
Concerns: Communication between Staffordshire Fire and Rescue Service and domiciliary care providers needs improvement to ensure awareness when clients are not using provided fire safety equipment.
Responded
Sylvia Griffiths
Concerns: Consideration should be given to fire and smoke alarms specifically designed for people with dementia, which could improve safety for this vulnerable group.
Responded
Riley Holt, Keegan Unitt, Tilly-Rose Unitt and Olly Unitt
Concerns: Conventional smoke alarms may be ineffective for children under 16, particularly boys, suggesting mandatory fire suppression systems in all new properties, similar to Wales, should be considered.
Responded
Christopher Hart
Concerns: The housing provider failed to impose fire safety standards for tenant furniture and did not review sprinkler system installation, despite evidence of their life-saving potential.
Responded
Tony Goodridge
Concerns: The property lacked a smoke alarm. Emergency services faced difficulty accessing the property due to parked vehicles, hindering response.
Overdue
Mihaela Lazar
Concerns: Inadequate fire detection and warning systems, including missing smoke alarms and kitchen doors, combined with unacceptable escape routes in older maisonettes, pose a significant fire risk in thousands of properties.
Overdue
Kevin Freely
Concerns: Insufficient awareness and adherence to fire safety warnings regarding paraffin-based emollients, smoking in bed, and air-flow mattresses, combined with inadequate risk assessments, pose significant fire risks.
Overdue
Brian Bicat
Concerns: Inadequate fire hazard warnings on paraffin-based emollient packaging, insufficient awareness among healthcare professionals and the public, and inconsistent prescribing system alerts pose significant fire risks.
Overdue
Brian MaClean
Concerns: Social Services and housing providers failed to proactively assess fire risks, make referrals to fire services, or install automatic water suppression systems and appropriate alarms for high-risk individuals.
Overdue
Jac Davies
Concerns: Landlords in Wales are under no legal obligation to install smoke alarms in rented properties, contrasting with England's regulations, and current "best practice" recommendations carry no enforcement.
Responded
Ian Leak
Concerns: The communal fire alarm system at Honiton Oaks failed to trigger audible alerts within individual flats, raising serious safety concerns for residents, particularly those with mobility problems under a "Stay Put" policy.
Overdue
Sharon Soares
Concerns: There have been multiple fatalities and numerous accidental injuries linked to Bio Ethanol burners, indicating an ongoing and significant product safety risk.
Overdue
Sadie Peters, Joseph Peters and George Peters
Concerns: Inadequate awareness programmes exist for the importance of fitting and maintaining smoke detectors in mobile and static caravans, increasing fire safety risks.
Overdue
William Thompson
Concerns: A high-risk service user lacked a smoke detector in his bedroom; social workers failed to assess or address this significant fire safety risk.
Responded
Emma Waring
Concerns: The absence of compulsory automatic water suppression systems in residential properties, especially for vulnerable individuals, represents a significant fire safety risk.
Responded
John Hills
Concerns: Paraffin-based emollient creams lacked fire hazard warnings on labels and prescriptions, and risks were not communicated to a known smoker, highlighting a gap in NPSA guidance for lower percentage creams.
Overdue
Anne Fowler
Concerns: Smoke alarm covers were left in place after installation, making them inaccessible and ineffective. Legislation should require their removal by builders or landlords prior to occupation.
Overdue
Sidney Harvey
Concerns: Non-safety glass doors in rented properties, particularly where vulnerable individuals reside, pose a risk, and there is no clear system for their replacement or safety upgrade.
Overdue
Alfred Hodges
Concerns: Conwy's Telecare package lacks standard interlinked smoke alarms, and interim safety provisions are unclear. Additionally, the deceased was not offered a free home fire safety check.
Response: Conway Council has installed 105 linked smoke detectors, hired a full-time officer for a 6-month installation program, and provided refresher training for installers. They have also issued a briefing note …
Responded
Julie Ann Camm
Concerns: A vulnerable tenant's property lacked smoke alarms because the housing association's policy only encouraged fire safety checks, failing to ensure installation and increasing the risk of death from fire.
Response: Leeds City Council's Housing Leeds has updated its Electrical Specification to require hard-wired smoke detection during any major electrical works. They are installing hard-wired smoke detectors in 3,000 properties by …
Responded
Betty Grace Payne
Concerns: Insufficient information sharing about vulnerable individuals with the Fire Service and a lack of training for Local Authority staff on home fire safety checks increase fire risks for the elderly.
Overdue
Vera Lillian Steel
Concerns: A frail, bedbound resident fatally burned herself while smoking. Care homes should be encouraged to provide fire-protective aprons or smocks to residents who smoke to prevent similar incidents.
Overdue