Fire safety in a care home is about more than equipment. Many residents will need help to get out, so your plan has to work with the staff you actually have on duty – especially at night.

The Law

Every care home needs a written fire risk assessment, kept up to date, under the fire safety law in each nation:

  • England and Wales – the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005
  • Scotland – the Fire (Scotland) Act 2005 and the Fire Safety (Scotland) Regulations 2006
  • Northern Ireland – the Fire and Rescue Services (Northern Ireland) Order 2006 and the Fire Safety Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2010

Care regulators also check fire safety: the Care Quality Commission (CQC) in England, Care Inspectorate Wales, the Care Inspectorate in Scotland, and the Regulation and Quality Improvement Authority (RQIA) in Northern Ireland.

Progressive Horizontal Evacuation

Most care homes don't evacuate everyone at once. Instead, they use progressive horizontal evacuation: residents are moved from the area where the fire is, through fire doors, into the next protected area on the same floor. They can be moved further if needed.

This only works if:

  • the building is divided into fire-resisting compartments, with fire doors that close properly,
  • the fire alarm shows exactly where the fire is, and
  • staff are trained and practised in moving residents quickly.

See Fire Doors: Types, Signs and Simple Checks and Fire Alarm Systems for Businesses.

Plan for Night-Time Staffing

Night staffing is often the weak point. Guidance from the National Fire Chiefs Council (NFCC) notes that some smaller homes have only two or three staff at night, and that moving one resident with limited mobility can take two staff a couple of minutes. Work out whether your night team could realistically move everyone in the first area in time – and if not, change the plan, the building or the staffing.

Training and Drills

The law requires training at induction and regularly after that. Because the risks are high, care staff are usually trained more often than in other workplaces – in Northern Ireland, the RQIA expects fire safety training twice a year. Make sure night staff take part in drills too. See Fire Extinguisher Training for Staff and Fire Drills and Evacuation Plans.

Specific Risks

  • Skin creams (emollients) – creams dried onto clothing, bedding and dressings make them catch fire more easily and burn faster. Washing doesn't fully remove the risk. Keep residents who use them away from naked flames and heaters, and take extra care with smokers.
  • Medical oxygen – no smoking or naked flames near oxygen, and keep equipment free of oil and grease.
  • Smoking – provide a safe smoking area, and consider fire-retardant aprons and bedding for residents at risk.
  • Fire doors – never wedge them open. If doors need to stay open for residents, fit approved hold-open devices or free-swing door closers, which close the door automatically when the alarm sounds.

Fire Extinguishers and Fire Blankets

  • Corridors, lounges and other areas residents use – a 6 Litre Water Fire Extinguisher is usually the best choice.
  • Areas only staff can reach – where there's electrical equipment, such as offices, plant rooms and near distribution boards, add a 2kg carbon dioxide (CO2) Fire Extinguisher if needed.
  • Kitchens – a fire blanket and a wet chemical extinguisher. See Commercial Kitchen Fire Safety.

In homes for residents living with dementia or learning disabilities, take extra care to stop extinguishers being tampered with. Extinguisher covers keep inquisitive fingers away, and lockable extinguisher cabinets may be the answer where tampering is a real problem – just make sure staff can open them quickly in an emergency. See Extinguisher Stands, Brackets and Cabinets and How Many Fire Extinguishers Do I Need?.

Sprinklers

  • England – new care homes have needed sprinklers, whatever their height, since a change to building regulations guidance in March 2025.
  • Wales – sprinklers have been required in new and converted care homes since 2014.
  • Scotland and Northern Ireland – check with your local building standards or building control team.

Official guidance: GOV.UK – residential care premises, gov.scot – existing care homes, NFCC – care homes staffing and evacuation guidance and MHRA – skin creams and fire risk.

Worth remembering… your fire risk assessment is what decides what your premises need. This guide is general advice, not a substitute for it.

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