Award winning specialist fire consultancy, Innovation Fire Engineering, are proud to be working alongside PRP Architects to conduct much-needed research on fire safety in specialised housing and care homes and assess the current provisions in Approved Document B (ADB).
The research, commissioned by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG), will include a review of the current design provisions in ADB and alternative approaches. There is support for alternative design options in the fire engineering community, as bespoke fire engineering strategies can address the fire safety issues specific to care homes, sheltered housing and extra care housing for the elderly and otherwise vulnerable residents, rather than a generic approach to these different occupancy types. Innovation Fire Engineering have worked with numerous care home and specialist housing providers across the UK.
James Brady (MSc, BEng (Hons) AIFire), Director, and fire expert in care homes and specialist housing, said, “We must assess in detail the occupancy characteristics and associated requirements of people in specialised housing and care homes. It is imperative that there is a clear understanding of how people with specialist needs, such as dementia and learning disabilities, will react in response to a fire and the impact this can have on evacuation times. Incorporating such guidance will help develop a more robust fire safety strategy.”
The research will assist in identifying the scope for potential improvements to the fire safety guidance, incorporating emerging evidence bases and studies in relation to specialised housing and care homes. Innovation Fire Engineering are passionate about working with specialists in the industry to contribute to ensuring fire safety for all, particularly our older generation and vulnerable residents.
