Fire Safety Order 2005
Requires suitable assessment, full recording, precautions, maintenance, competent assistance, information, training and emergency planning.
Care providers, registered managers and building owners
Fire risk assessment for care homes
Address sleeping and vulnerable occupants, staffing, progressive evacuation, medical equipment and compartmentation with a suitably competent assessment.
Key points
Care home fire risk assessment at a glance
- Residents requiring staff assistance
- Progressive horizontal evacuation
- Day and night staffing arrangements
- London and Surrey assessment enquiries
- The responsible person must arrange a suitable and sufficient assessment and record its findings in full.
- Review the assessment when changes, an incident or new information could affect its validity.
Property-specific guidance
Why this premises type needs its own assessment
Residential care premises are complex life-safety environments because many residents cannot respond or evacuate without help. The building, compartments, alarm, staffing, care information and evacuation aids must work as one system at all times, including at night.
The assessment should be carried out by someone competent for residential care and should test realistic scenarios, staffing and resident dependencies rather than assuming all occupants can use stairs or respond to a conventional alarm.
Legal responsibility
Who must arrange the assessment?
The care-provider employer or organisation controlling the premises is normally a responsible person. Owners, landlords and facilities providers may share responsibility for structure and systems. The registered manager often coordinates day-to-day arrangements but legal responsibility depends on control.
Read the main fire risk assessment guideLegal framework
Fire-safety duties affecting this property
The Fire Safety Order is the core life-safety regime in England. Other laws and sector requirements can overlap, so the assessment and action plan should not be managed in isolation.
Care regulation
Providers must deliver safe care and premises; fire-safety evidence may be examined by the Care Quality Commission.
Dangerous substances and medical equipment
Oxygen, emollients, medical devices and other hazards require specific controls and staff understanding.
Building regulations and fire strategy
Compartmentation and evacuation design are fundamental; changes to rooms, doors or use need coordinated review.
Assessment scope
What the assessor should examine
The final scope should reflect the actual building and any limitations. A site visit and a prioritised written report are fundamental for a professional assessment.
Resident dependency
Understand mobility, cognition, sensory needs, oxygen use, bariatric needs and day or night variation.
Evacuation strategy
Evaluate progressive horizontal evacuation, compartments, staffing, aids, stairs, lifts and places of relative safety.
Compartmentation and doors
Inspect the protection that allows residents to be moved in stages and identify breaches or door problems.
Detection and warning
Confirm coverage, staff alerting, investigation, alarm zoning and any staged response.
Ignition and medical hazards
Review smoking, cooking, laundry, oxygen, airflow mattresses, emollients, charging and electrical equipment.
Management
Test training, drills or exercises, agency induction, night cover, care plans, maintenance and escalation.
Property-specific hazards
Risks that deserve particular attention
These examples are prompts, not a complete checklist. The assessment must identify all significant hazards and how they could affect people in and around the premises.
Smoking and emollients
Paraffin-containing or contaminated fabrics and unsupervised smoking can greatly increase fire severity.
Oxygen and medical equipment
Oxygen enrichment and powered equipment require robust controls and emergency procedures.
Laundry and kitchens
Heat, lint, oils and combustible loads can create fires away from resident rooms.
Failed compartmentation
Open or defective doors and unsealed penetrations can undermine progressive evacuation.
People at risk
Who may need additional consideration?
The assessment must consider everyone lawfully on or near the premises, including people who may be unable to recognise danger, respond quickly or use the standard escape route without help.
Residents needing assistance
Some may require several staff, equipment or movement to another compartment.
Residents who cannot recognise danger
Cognitive or sensory conditions may affect alarm response and cooperation.
Night staff
Lower staffing must still support the evacuation strategy and foreseeable resident dependencies.
Visitors, agency and contractors
Unfamiliar people need clear information and must not compromise care or fire precautions.
Emergency planning
Evacuation points to test
A written plan is only useful if it matches the building, occupants, available staff and fire precautions and can be carried out under foreseeable conditions.
- Validate the number and capability of staff required for realistic day and night scenarios.
- Ensure compartments and fire doors support the time needed for progressive movement.
- Use person-centred information to plan assistance while protecting residents’ privacy.
- Exercise the plan without exposing residents to harm; tabletop or partial exercises may complement practical drills.
What to expect
The five-stage assessment process
- 1
Prepare
Confirm the areas in scope, responsible persons, occupancy, plans, previous reports and relevant fire-safety records.
- 2
Inspect
Walk the premises and examine hazards, people at risk, escape, fire protection and management arrangements.
- 3
Evaluate
Judge whether precautions are suitable for the actual use, occupants, construction and emergency strategy.
- 4
Record and prioritise
Document findings in full and provide a clear, risk-prioritised action plan with responsible owners.
- 5
Review
Keep the assessment current and revisit it when change, an incident or new information may affect its validity.
Evidence and management
Records to prepare and retain
Good records help an assessor understand the premises, allow defects to be tracked and demonstrate that significant findings have been acted on.
- Current FRA and prioritised action plan
- Evacuation strategy and fire strategy
- Resident dependency and assistance information
- Staffing, training and exercise records
- Alarm, lighting, doors and equipment maintenance
- Oxygen, smoking, emollient and equipment controls
Keeping it current
When to review the assessment
There is no single fixed review interval suitable for every premises. Set a proportionate programme and review sooner whenever there is reason to think the assessment may no longer be valid.
- Significant change in resident dependency or numbers
- Staffing model, night cover or agency arrangements change
- Room, compartment, door or evacuation-strategy changes
- New medical equipment, oxygen or higher-risk care activity
- Fire, near miss, alarm activation or exercise finding
- Enforcement, CQC concern or evidence the assessment is no longer valid
Quote planning
What affects assessment cost?
A useful quote reflects assessor time, competence, site access and reporting complexity. A low headline price is not meaningful without a clear scope.
Resident and bed numbers
Occupancy, dependencies and rooms requiring inspection.
Building complexity
Storeys, compartments, stairs, lifts and extensions.
Evacuation analysis
Staffing, aids, scenarios and person-centred information.
Records and systems
Fire strategy, alarm cause-and-effect, doors and maintenance evidence.
Choosing an assessor
Check the person as well as the company
BAFE SP205 provides third-party certification for organisations delivering life-safety fire risk assessments. The National Fire Risk Assessors Register (NFRAR), administered by the Institute of Fire Safety Managers, records individually assessed fire risk assessors and their competency level.
Use both as complementary evidence: verify the organisation’s current BAFE SP205 status where applicable and the individual’s current NFRAR registration and assessed level. Also check direct experience with care home premises, insurance, report scope, site visit, exclusions and how follow-up questions are handled.
Related fire-safety services
Acting on the assessment
The FRA should define outcomes and priorities. Any design, installation, inspection or maintenance work must then be scoped and completed competently.
Fire doors and protected routes
Plan a competent fire door inspection
Sleeping risk, vulnerable occupants, repeated use and flat-access arrangements can make door condition and records especially important in this premises type.
Local coverage
Find and compare assessment support across London and Surrey
Explore local assessor information and quotation guidance, or use the form below to request a property-specific quote.
Frequently asked questions
Fire risk assessment for care homes FAQs
Why is a care-home FRA more complex?
Residents may be asleep, unable to recognise an alarm or dependent on staff and equipment. The assessor must consider staffing, compartmentation, progressive evacuation and person-centred needs together.
What is progressive horizontal evacuation?
It moves residents away from a fire into another fire-resisting compartment on the same level before vertical evacuation is considered. It depends on suitable compartmentation, doors, staffing and management.
Does every resident need a personal evacuation plan?
The premises needs sufficient person-centred information to identify assistance and equipment required. The format should suit the care setting and coordinate with the overall emergency plan while respecting privacy.
How often should a care-home FRA be reviewed?
No universal legal interval replaces risk-based review. Care homes should monitor change closely and review whenever residents, staffing, building, systems, care activities or evidence changes, as well as after incidents and meaningful exercises.
Can a general assessor assess a care home?
Only if they can demonstrate competence for the building, resident dependencies and evacuation strategy. Care homes commonly require a higher level of knowledge and experience than straightforward workplaces.
Property-specific enquiry
Request a quote for your care home
Provide the essential building and occupancy details. Your enquiry can be reviewed and passed to an assessor serving London or Surrey.
- No obligation to book
- Telephone number required
- Use the details box for unusual risks or deadlines
Sources and limitations
Guidance reviewed 21 July 2026
This page provides general information for England. It is not legal advice, a building-specific assessment or a guarantee of compliance. Fire Safety Services is independent and is not affiliated with BAFE, NFRAR, IFSM, the Government or fire and rescue services.
Other property guides