Practical fire safety for existing specialised housing and similar premises: consultation analysis

(vi) Impact Assessments

28 - Please give information and views on any business impacts you consider the Guidance might have.

The most common business impact identified was related to additional costs to implement appropriate fire safety measures, voiced by six respondents. The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service saw the potential need for hiring a competent person to carry out a premises-based assessment. Some respondents welcomed the announced Business and Regulatory Impact Assessment (BRIA) and Equality Impact Assessment (EQIA).

29 - Please give information and views on groups with protected characteristics (as explained in the drop down below) that implementation of the Guidance might have. This should include both positive and negative

Several respondents (three local authority housing providers, two advice agencies, the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service and one care and support provider and one individual) agreed that groups with protected characteristics would benefit from safety improvements. The care and support provider confirmed that the language used in the Guidance is non-discriminatory.

One housing association felt that the mobility of older people may be impacted by the guidance on mobility scooters (storage and charging), which could potentially limit the numbers of mobility scooters accommodated. In addition, one advice agency was concerned about a potential impact on Specialised Housing stock, as landlords may wish to avoid additional investments in fire safety.

30 - Please provide any further comments you have on the Guidance below.

Several comments were on editorial changes to the Guidance. One respondent suggested that mobility scooters could be stored and charged in a resident's own premises having a safe fire door, thereby reducing risk to common areas. Another respondent felt that if the Guidance would impact the ability of vulnerable people to live independently at home, this could put pressure on care homes and have further social and health impacts.