Practical fire safety for existing specialised housing and similar premises: BRIA

1. Purpose and intended effect

1.1 Background

Following the fire at Grenfell Tower in 2017, the Scottish Government established a Ministerial Working Group (MWG) to review building and fire safety regulatory frameworks. The Review of the Fire Safety Regime in Scotland (the Review) was one of three MWG Reviews. The Review found no major gaps in Scottish legislation but made a number of recommendations, including one regarding the introduction of fire safety Guidance for managers of specialised housing. It advocated a "person-centred" approach to meet the needs of all individuals that may need additional help in terms of fire safety.

Specialised housing comprises sheltered and extra care housing mainly for older people who may require a degree of care and support. It also includes supported housing for people with physical, sensory, mental health or cognitive impairments, who live, to varying degrees, independently within the community; in some cases, residents may require significant care and support meriting a high level of fire protection measures. In addition, the Guidance applies to small care homes which have been constructed as domestic dwellings and which accommodate a small number of residents. Those who receive care or support in general needs housing and who are vulnerable to the risk of fire may also find the Guidance useful.

1.2 Aims and Objectives

The aim is to enhance fire safety in specialised housing and similar premises thereby preventing fires and reducing deaths and injuries from fire where they occur. The main objective is to:

• ensure those responsible for fire safety in specialised housing and similar premises are able to determine appropriate fire safety measures for vulnerable people by providing a single source of Guidance covering general fire safety and fire safety risk assessment.

1.3 Rationale for Government intervention

The need for the introduction of Scottish Guidance was identified by the Review of the Scottish Fire Safety Regime and agreed by the Ministerial Working Group.

1.4 National Outcome

This contributes to the Scottish Government's National outcomes:

We live in communities that are inclusive, empowered, resilient and safe

And the Justice Vision priorities:

We will enable our communities to be safe and supportive, where individuals exercise their rights and responsibilities