TAKING A PEEP AT HIGH-RISE BUILDINGS

A Personal Emergency Evacuation Plan (or PEEP) is a specific plan used to ensure that those who may need assistance can evacuate safely in an emergency, for example persons with limited mobility, vision or hearing. These are often used in situations such as healthcare premises, hotels and residential educational establishments where people with restricted mobility may be present.

Following on from the Phase 1 report of the Grenfell Tower Inquiry in 2021 the Government ran a consultation looking at proposals that would make the owner and manager of every high-rise residential building legally responsible for preparing a PEEP for all residents whose ability to self-evacuate may be compromised and for including up-to-date information about persons with reduced mobility and their associated PEEPs in the premises information box.

The government has now published a summary of the responses to the consultation and details of the next steps they intend to take.

Overall there was strong support for the proposal to require the Responsible Person (RP) to prepare a PEEP for every resident who self-identifies to them as unable to self-evacuate and do so in consultation with the residents. However, there were also significant concerns raised regarding the proportionality and practicality of introducing PEEPS as set out in the consultation.

In view of these concerns, the government has now launched a new consultation on alternative proposals to support the fire safety of residents whose ability to self-evacuate may be compromised. One option is for Responsible Persons to be required to ask residents to make themselves known if they feel they might need support to evacuate in the event of a fire. The RP would then be required to offer a Person-Centred Fire Risk Assessment and connect them with a home fire safety visit from their local Fire and Rescue Services.

The Emergency Evacuation Information Sharing+ consultation runs until 10th August 2022. You can view and respond to the consultation documents on the Gov.UK website at: https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/emergency-evacuation-information-sharing

The Government’s response to the initial consultation can be found on the Gov.UK website at:https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/personal-emergency-evacuation-plans/outcome/response-document-accessible

Please speak to your normal PIB Risk Management contact or get in touch using [email protected]  if you have any questions regarding fire safety or would like to arrange a fire risk assessment for your premises.