The new fire safety regulations that came into effect on 6 April have been welcomed by a sector expert.

Patrick Heaney, Head of Technical Fire Safety at FirstPort, said: “New fire safety regulations in England [came] into force [on] 6 April, requiring responsible persons in certain higher-risk residential buildings to take reasonable steps to prepare evacuation plans for residents who need support. The measures form part of the final Grenfell Tower Inquiry recommendations to be implemented through legislation.

“The Grenfell tragedy highlighted the devastating consequences of inadequate evacuation planning, particularly for disabled residents who were among those who needlessly lost their lives. Today, over half of all social rented households have at least one person with a disability or long-term health condition, around 2.16 million households. Until now, these people have not been legally protected by proper evacuation measures.

“While mobility issues first spring to mind, in fact, a wide range of people may need assistance to safely evacuate in the case of fire. These include people with sight or hearing loss, cognitive impairments or other disabilities, and in some cases, children.

“Fire safety not just about buildings and systems, but the people who live in them, how they experience fire risk, and how to support emergency services to make life-saving decisions quickly when every second counts. Collaborating with and centring the voices of residents will be the measure of how effectively this legislation is implemented. Most important, this process is not about collecting people’s private medical information, but simply whether a person needs assistance to evacuate, what type of aid and where they are located within a building.

“Once a resident is identified and agrees to participate, a person-centred fire risk assessment can be carried out. This involves a practical discussion about the resident’s circumstances and what might help them stay safe or evacuate if needed. From that, an Emergency Evacuation Statement can be developed, setting out the agreed support needs in a simple, usable way. This information can then be shared with fire and rescue services, who will be able to act on it safely and quickly in the unlikely event of a fire.”