NFCC welcomes new provision for sprinklers in all new care homes

The National Fire Chiefs Council has welcomed the recent announcement that sprinklers will be mandatory in all new care homes. The Government made the announcement in a Ministerial Statement published last week, with the provision being made through an update to Approved Document B, which gives guidance on building regulations relating to fire safety matters in England.

NFCC has been calling for strengthening of sprinklers requirements in care homes for many years, most recently in the updated Automatic Water Suppression Systems (AWSS) policy statement published in May.

Responding to the announcement, NFCC Lead for Sprinklers and AWSS, Jonathan Dyson, said:

“NFCC welcomes the announcement that all new care homes in England will be required to have sprinklers installed.

“The use of sprinklers in care homes reduces the likelihood of a fire spreading beyond the room of origin. This buys crucial time for evacuation and firefighting and can reduce the need for unnecessary movement of residents who may also be more vulnerable to fire due to age, mobility issues or cognitive impairments. There have been several high-profile fires in care homes across England in the last 10 years. In many of these cases there were no sprinkler systems in place and it was not possible for firefighters to fully mitigate the effects of serious fires that resulted in lives being lost, serious injury, and major property damage.

“The recent announcement recognises and addresses the serious concerns we have had about fire safety in care homes. It is a measure that the NFCC and fire and rescue services have long called for to help protect vulnerable residents and staff.”