Care Home Open Week means more people in the building, unfamiliar visitors in corridors, and daily routines that shift to accommodate tours and events. For care home managers across Cumbria, the single most useful thing you can do before visitors arrive is review your fire risk assessment. Make sure it accounts for the temporary increase in occupancy and footfall.
Your fire risk assessment is a living document. During Open Week, visitor numbers rise, people who don't know the layout walk through communal areas, fire doors get propped open to feel welcoming, and staff attention is split between residents and guests.
According to Home Office Fire Prevention and Protection Statistics, care homes account for a disproportionate share of fire fatalities relative to their building stock. The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 places the duty squarely on the "responsible person," which in most care homes is the registered manager. None of this means you shouldn't open your doors. It means you should prepare properly.
The Fire Industry Association confirms propped-open fire doors remain one of the most frequent findings during enforcement visits to care premises. Doors held open with wedges, bins, or chairs breach the Fire Safety Order. If you want doors open for a welcoming feel, they must be fitted with hold-open devices linked to the fire alarm so they close automatically when the alarm activates.
Under the Fire Safety Order, your assessment must be reviewed whenever circumstances change. A week of increased visitors and altered routines counts. A short addendum noting the changed conditions and your mitigations is sufficient.
CQC inspectors assess fire safety as part of the "Safe" domain. An out-of-date fire risk assessment or staff who cannot describe the evacuation procedure will appear in your inspection report. An assessment reviewed and updated for a specific event like Open Week shows good governance — exactly the kind of evidence inspectors notice.
If you're a care home manager in Cumbria and your fire risk assessment hasn't been reviewed this year, Open Week is a good prompt. BAFE-accredited assessors from BFP cover the whole county, from Carlisle down to Barrow. Find out more about our fire risk assessment service here.
Under the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005, the "responsible person" is usually the employer or the person who has control of the premises. In most care homes, this is the registered manager. They must make sure a suitable and sufficient fire risk assessment is in place and kept up to date.
There is no fixed legal interval, but the Fire Safety Order requires the assessment to be reviewed regularly and whenever there is reason to suspect it is no longer valid. A significant change in occupancy, building layout, or use, such as a public event, is a trigger for review. Many fire safety professionals recommend a full review at least annually, with interim reviews when circumstances change.
Fire doors must not be propped open with wedges, furniture, or other objects. If you want a fire door held open, it must be fitted with a hold-open device that is linked to the fire alarm system and releases the door automatically when the alarm sounds. This is a requirement under the Fire Safety Order and Building Regulations Approved Document B.
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