Govt to Ignore Grenfell Recommendation on PEEPS.

[Messyshaw]

So the Government have decided not to apply one key recommendation of the Grenfell Public Inquiry which suggested PEEPs should be a legal requirement in residential blocks.

Currently, where a person in the workplace or other commercial premises cannot follow the generic emergency plan, for instance due to a disability, the responsible person for that building (often the employer) must compile a bespoke, tailor made emergency plan for that person, taking into account their specific needs.  The Personal Emergency Evacuation Plan (PEEP) may be a simple plan involving appointing a 'buddy' to assist, or something more complex such as supplying equipment to convey people downstairs such as an evacuation chair or lift - plus significantly, competent staff to operate these devices in an emergency.

The Govt took advice from amongst others, one of the UK's leading fire safety consultancies and decided PEEPs would not work effectively in residential flats. OK you could easily get evac chairs installed and maintained (subject to them not being vandalised) but who operates them? This may need a team of two staff at EVERY block 24hrs every day for this purpose. In HM Govt's view, its totally unworkable. 

So instead, FRS will be charged with keeping records of vulnerable persons and where they live and provide assistance to evacuate them as a priority if the fire situation determines this course of action. 

Unsurprisingly, groups representing disabled persons are very angry and some are threatening legal action. The Govt's own disabled evacuation guidance for residential has already hastily been withdrawn and its all a big ugly mess.

Whilst I am critical of the the Govt choosing the sensitive time on the approach to the 5th anniversary of Grenfell to publicise this controversial stance, I have to say, I agree with them and believe the idea of PEEPs in residential blocks is fundamentally flawed. I addition to supplying trained staff to assist, how about when grandma comes to stay? In a workplace, visitors have to be considered, but how do you do that in residential?

I am disappointed that the Grenfell Inquiry have recommended PEEPs - especially when they heard evidence that they are unworkable. It makes me question the competence of the Inquiry team to be honest 

I think the UKFRS could argue that this huge change in their responsibilities will lead to significant resource implications and expect extra funding from Govt. Will it get it? Probably not, but PDAs for residential shouts may have to increase and in cities with lots of flats, or areas covered by on-call fire stations, where there are significant numbers of flats - it maybe necessary to have specific teams keeping residential records up to date. There's the GDPR issue of handing and communicating sensitive personal info and perhaps extra casualty handling training for crews? That all costs cash

So what do you think? Should there be PEEPs or do we have to accept the awful reality that the more vulnerable may have to wait for assistance?

Link

[Crog]

We already have information on our MDT for anyone that has a PEEP or is bed bound, etc.  This is in place for every building, whether residential or not.

The only issue with it is us knowing about the person to be able to have it on the MDT. At the moment, either we get told by another agency/someone about the person or we see it on a safe and well. If neither of those happen, then we don’t know what we don’t know.

If people know we can do this, it’ll be a start. It will take up numbers to implement all the extra we’d find out about, so either we get more employees or other work drops off.

[TheSmiler]

Of course. 

The conservatives don’t care about the disabled, they don’t care about the firefighters and FRS, and they don’t care about the “sort of people” who live in these residential blocks.

They do not care. Not one bit.

[Messyshaw]

@TheSmiler I am not BoJo's No 1 fan either, but putting politics to one side (and hoping you have had breakfast now as your mood suggests your blood sugars seem a bit low🙄) , how would you suggest disabled people are evacuated from high rise premises?