Knowledge centre · Safe environments

Fire safety in care homes

Under the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005, a 'responsible person' must assess fire risk and keep people safe. In care settings many people need help to evacuate, so planning and staff confidence matter even more. CQC looks at fire safety under Safe environments.

MyCareCompliance brings practical CQC audits, evidence, workforce oversight and improvement actions into one platform for adult social care providers.

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Last reviewed: 10 October 2026. Independent guidance from AJG Advisory — not official CQC guidance. Always check the official sources listed below for current requirements.

Who it applies to

Care homes and other premises-based services. Home care providers should consider fire risk in each person's home as part of their risk assessment.

Core duties

A suitable and sufficient fire risk assessment, reviewed regularly and after changes
A personal emergency evacuation plan (PEEP) for each person who needs help
An evacuation strategy that works at night with night staffing levels
Fire alarms, emergency lighting, extinguishers and fire doors maintained and tested
Staff trained, with regular drills recorded

Routine checks to record

Weekly fire alarm test
Monthly emergency lighting check
Fire door and escape route checks
Drills, including a night-time scenario, with lessons noted

Internal audit questions

1.Is the fire risk assessment current and are its actions completed?
2.Does everyone who needs one have an up-to-date PEEP?
3.Have all staff, including night staff, taken part in a drill?
4.Are test records complete with no gaps?

Practical checklist

Fire risk assessment in date
PEEPs reviewed
Test records complete
Drills recorded with learning

How MyCareCompliance can help

You can schedule your fire safety checks as recurring audits in MyCareCompliance, turn any issues into actions with owners, and keep certificates in the evidence library with expiry reminders.

Official sources

MyCareCompliance is founded by Jack Green, ACC Accredited Care Consultant, with over 10 years in adult social care and registered manager experience. Read Jack’s background.

See how the platform organises this work

Genuine product screenshots using demo data. Scores show internal assurance, not CQC ratings. Features vary by plan.

Compliance Centre showing overall score and domain ratings for a care service — Compliance Centre — one snapshot of where the service stands today.

Audit register listing scheduled and completed CQC audits with due dates — Audit programme — scheduled, completed and overdue audits in one register.

Improvement action plan with owners, priorities and due dates — Improvement plan — findings become actions with an owner and a deadline.

Workforce compliance records showing DBS, right to work and training expiry status — Workforce compliance — DBS, right to work, training and supervision expiry.

Need to manage this in your service?

Use MyCareCompliance to organise audits, actions, evidence and governance in one place. 7 days free, then from £24.99 per month for the whole organisation, inclusive of VAT. Features vary by plan.

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MyCareCompliance does not guarantee a CQC rating or inspection outcome.