​

In recent years fire safety in the UK has undergone review and new legislation introduced as a result of tragic events, as a result there is now is a lot more focus on quality assurance and demonstrating compliance.

However, despite work within the fire safety sector for improvements to passive and active fire safety systems there is still a lack of understanding of current requirements and responsibilities to ensure the safe evacuation of mobility impaired persons from buildings.

Providing access into buildings for mobility impaired persons is often the main focus for fear of discrimination but ensuring suitable and sufficient provisions for evacuation in the event of an emergency and when lifts can not be used are often overlooked and left to chance.

Too often it assumed that if access is provided into and to upper and lower floor levels of buildings everyone can exit safely, sadly this is not the case when it comes to mobility impaired persons such as the disabled, elderly, injured or pregnant women who are unable to use the stairs.

 

Despite legislation and guidance requiring emergency procedures that ensure all occupants can be evacuated without relying on the intervention of the Fire and Rescue Service, many buildings do not have adequate provisions in place thus putting lives at risk and responsible persons exposed to non-compliance and risk of prosecution.

 

Currently in the UK, fire risk assessments should be carried out for all commercial premises that should consider procedures and provisions for evacuating all users of buildings. Unfortunately, with varying formats of reporting and knowledge of fire risk assessors, including those with third party accreditation, evacuation of mobility impaired persons is not always sufficiently covered.

 

A group of leading evacuation industry experts with many years of experience believe that there must be more focus on emergency evacuation management together with clear guidance specific to various sectors and types of buildings to ensure mobility impaired persons are safe and employers and service providers can demonstrate compliance if challenged.

 

Exitassured is an exciting new service that has been created with the aim of educating, collaborating and certificating to influence change.

• Educating - Training courses to raise awareness for employers, service providers, regulators and enforcing authorities.

 

• Collaborating - Working with various sectors, regulators and enforcing authorities to raise awareness, share lessons learnt and providing discounted products and services from approved partners.

 

• Certificating – Issuing certificates of competency to attendees of exitassured  inspection and audit training courses

Providing stylish and easily recognisable plaques in premises where a successful exitassured accredited audit has been carried out. 

If you would like further information on this new initiative, please email info@exitassured.com