Fire safety in a care home is a genuinely different challenge from most buildings, because many residents cannot evacuate quickly or independently. Understanding a home’s specific approach before admission, rather than assuming it is handled, is a reasonable and useful question to ask.
Ask about the evacuation strategy specifically
Many care homes use a “progressive horizontal evacuation” approach — moving residents to an adjoining fire-protected compartment rather than attempting to move everyone outside the building immediately, which is often safer and more realistic for residents with limited mobility. Ask the home to explain their specific strategy and how it applies to the unit your relative would be on.
Ask about individual evacuation plans
A well-run home maintains a Personal Emergency Evacuation Plan (PEEP) for each resident, tailored to their specific mobility and cognitive needs. Ask whether this exists for every resident and how often it is reviewed, particularly as a resident’s mobility or condition changes over time.
Ask about staff training and drills
Ask how often fire drills are carried out, and whether they specifically practise the evacuation of residents rather than just staff walking the evacuation route. Ask about staff training on the fire safety equipment and systems specific to that building.
Ask about the last fire safety inspection
Care homes are subject to fire safety inspections by the local fire and rescue authority, separate from CQC inspections. Ask when the home was last inspected and whether any actions were required — and whether those actions have since been completed.
What this tells you beyond fire safety itself
A home that answers these questions specifically and confidently, with clear evidence of planning, is often also well organised in other areas of resident safety. A home that is vague or defensive about fire safety questions is worth treating with more caution generally.
How to use this guide in practice
Don’t read this as general information — use it as a worksheet. Write down the details of the person who needs care, the current limits of the situation at home, the monthly budget, the documents you already have, whether a local-authority financial assessment may apply, and who you’ve already spoken with. Then turn every unclear point into a specific question. A family that arrives with a clear picture usually gets more useful answers than one calling under stress with scattered information.
Keep one simple rule: anything about admission, cost, funding, timelines and whether a care home fits must be confirmed directly with the care home or the competent authority serving your area. This guide prepares the search — it does not replace official decisions.
Want a clear shortlist before you start calling?
If you don’t know which care homes to contact first, Curalune Care Help can prepare an ordered shortlist of 3–5 suitable options — with CQC ratings, contacts, useful links and a ready-to-send inquiry.
The service helps you organise the search.£69, one-off. If you don't receive at least 3 homes matching the area and criteria you gave us, we refund you in full. It does not replace the care home’s own assessment and does not guarantee admission, price or bed availability.
Important limit
Curalune offers practical help with the search and orientation. Admission, pricing, bed availability and the final assessment always rest with the care homes and the competent authorities (the local authority, the NHS, the Care Quality Commission).
