A personal emergency evacuation plan, or PEEP, sets out how one named person will get out of a building in an emergency when they cannot do so unaided. It answers three questions in advance: who will help, what route they will take and what equipment they need.
Why they matter
Section 18(2) of the Fire Services Acts 1981 and 2003 requires the person in control of a premises to ensure, as far as is reasonably practicable, the safety of people on the premises in a fire. A standard evacuation procedure assumes everyone can hear the alarm and walk down the stairs. For anyone who cannot, you need a plan made for them.
Who may need a PEEP
- Wheelchair users and people with reduced mobility.
- People who are deaf or hard of hearing and may not hear the alarm.
- People who are blind or have low vision.
- People with a cognitive or sensory condition who may find an alarm distressing or confusing.
- Anyone with a temporary condition: a broken leg, late pregnancy, recovery from surgery.
- Residents in nursing homes and care settings.
Ask, do not assume. The person concerned knows best what they can do and what help they want.
What goes in a PEEP
- The person: name, where they usually work or stay, and the times they are in the building.
- How they are alerted: the alarm, a flashing beacon, a vibrating pager or a colleague.
- The route: to an exit, or to a refuge where they wait safely for help.
- The help: who assists, how many people are needed, and who covers when they are absent.
- Equipment: an evacuation chair, ski sheet or similar, and where it is kept.
- Training: who has been trained to use the equipment.
Visitors and the public
You cannot write a plan for every visitor. Instead, have a general plan for people who need assistance, make sure reception asks, and brief staff on what to do.
Care settings
In nursing homes every resident’s needs are assessed, and the plan must work with the number of staff on duty at night. See our guide to fire risk assessments for nursing homes.
Keeping PEEPs working
- Practise them. A plan that has never been tried will fail on the day.
- Review when the person’s needs, desk or working hours change.
- Review when the building or the staff who assist change.
- Check evacuation equipment is in place and serviced.
- Hybrid working means the named helper may be at home. Name more than one.
A fire risk assessment from Safer Solutions checks whether your evacuation arrangements work for everyone in the building. Call 086 275 9728, email info@safersolutions.ie or request a quote.