SA Toolkit Procedure No.12 1 Home Fire Safety Initiative Procedure No: 12 Summary: Guidance to LBB ECHS Care Services Division staff and other partner agencies on making referrals to the London Fire Brigade for free home fire safety visits for adults at risk. 1. INTRODUCTION The Home Fire Safety Initiative promotes effective partnership working between health and social care, the police and the London Fire Brigade to identify vulnerable adults who may be living in situations which represent a fire risk. The objective is to prevent fire tragedies by responsible information-sharing about risks and supporting adults at risk to access free smoke alarms and professional fire safety advice. All health and social care staff, as part of their duty of care to adults with care and support needs, have a responsibility to use health and social care assessment processes, including the assessment of mental capacity, to clarify risks for people who appear to have chosen to live in situations which may represent a risk to their health and well-being. This procedure should be read in conjunction with the Care Services Guide to Assessment and Care Management guidance on Identifying Assessing and Managing Risk. 2. PROCEDURE 2.1 The London Fire Brigade is asking health and social care professionals and housing staff whose work involves home visits to adults with disabilities to undertake a simple fire risk check as part of their risk assessment of the person s needs and home environment, to identify factors that may escalate the risk of fire to adults with needs for care and support. FIRE RISK FACTOR CHECKLIST YES NO Does anyone in the household smoke? Do they smoke in bed? Does anyone in the household use candles? Is the home fitted with at least one working smoke alarm? Is there a history of near misses with fire or smoking materials? Does your client have any mental health problems, learning disabilities or dementia which may affect their perception of risk? Does anyone in the house use or misuse drugs (prescribed or otherwise) or alcohol which may impair reactions to an outbreak of fire? Is there evidence of hoarding in the client s home? Are there any obstacles or clutter which would impede exit from the premises in an emergency? Would your client be able to escape from a fire without assistance from other people? Has there been any recent decline in health or mobility? If yes, refer for a re-assessment of need and risk factors
SA Toolkit Procedure No.12 2 2.3 The Contact Referral, Initial and Overview assessment forms on the LBB Carefirst social care case record system contain prompts to ask the person if there is a working smoke alarm, to record the answer and consider other fire risk factors. The question is mandatory on the Initial and Overview and Review assessment forms. 2.4 The worker should seek the person s consent to make a referral for a free Home Fire Safety visit from the London Fire Brigade if there is no working smoke alarm and the checklist indicates risk factors increasing the person s vulnerability to the risk of fire. Where it appears that the person is reclusive or difficult to engage with services, and may subsequently refuse entry to the London Fire Brigade, the worker should be prepared to undertake a joint visit with the fire prevention officer to facilitate access, or to arrange with the person s family or key worker or support worker to be present at the visit. Full contact details should be provided on the referral form. 2.5 Where the person is immobile, living alone and is unable to call the Fire Brigade when the smoke alarm sounds, or to escape from the property without assistance, workers should always consider and discuss a referral to Carelink for a Telecare smoke alarm which is linked to the contact centre. 2.6 Where the condition of the property may require statutory intervention by the LBB Environmental Services Public Protection team because the property meets the Public Health Act 1936 definition of filthy, verminous or unwholesome, a referral for a free fire safety check and installation of smoke alarms will be offered under the partnership Hoarding Protocol between LBB and LBB Environmental Services Department see Appendix 2 on page 5). 2.8 The Home Fire Safety Visit referral form is available on the London Borough of Bromley website on the following link: http://www.bromley.gov.uk/downloads/file/2153/home_fire_safety_visit_referral _form Bromley Social Services Direct (BSSD) will act as the single point of contact to receive and record Home Fire Safety Visit referrals from Bromley Council staff, and contracted providers of community care services, Bromley Healthcare, Oxleas NHS Foundation Trust, Princess Royal University Hospital and the Police. Complete the referral form and send it by email to: bromleysocialservicesdirect@bromley.gov.uk or by post to: Bromley Social Services Direct North Block London Borough of Bromley Civic Centre Bromley BR1 3UH DO NOT send it direct to the London Fire Brigade email address on the referral form. This email address can be used for subsequent contact with the London Fire Brigade following a referral.
SA Toolkit Procedure No.12 3 2.9 BSSD will forward the referrals to the London Fire Brigade and will compile a quarterly return of referrals received. The returns will be sent to the Borough Fire Commander at Bromley Fire Station, and to the Education Care and Health Services Quality Assurance team. Performance data on the number of referrals generated by health and social care staff will be reported to the Bromley Safeguarding Adults Board (BSAB) and published in the mid-year and annual reports. 2.10 Managers should inform newly appointed and locum Care Services staff about the Home Fire Safety Initiative at induction, and how to refer service users whose home environment increases their vulnerability in the event of a fire. 2.11 The Domiciliary Care Provider Forum has been informed about the initiative. Commissioners and care brokers should alert care agencies how to report any existing or escalating fire risks for service users. 3. FIRE SAFETY AWARENESS TRAINING Home Fire Safety Training sessions are provided free of charge at the Civic Centre twice a year by the London Fire Brigade Community Safety teams for: home care agencies, community nurses and other community based health staff, supported living housing providers and their support staff, neighbourhood housing managers, care managers and other health and social care staff working within ECHS and Oxleas or other commissioned provider services. Health and social care providers should ensure that their staff have the opportunity to attend these sessions to raise their personal awareness of fire safety to protect themselves and their families, and to train them in their Home Fire Safety Initiative role to recognise and react to fire safety risks by encouraging the adults with care and support needs with whom they are working, to accept a free home fire safety visit to benefit from professional advice to keep them safe from fire. APPENDIX 1 Home Fire Safety Visit Referral Form See overleaf, for information only.
SA Toolkit Procedure No.12 4 See page 2 for the link to this e-form on the London Borough of Bromley website. Complete the referral form and send it by email to: bromleysocialservicesdirect@bromley.gov.uk or by post to: Bromley Social Services Direct North Block London Borough of Bromley Civic Centre Bromley BR1 3UH
SA Toolkit Procedure No.12 5 APPENDIX 2 LONDON FIRE BRIGADE BROMLEY TEAM AND BROMLEY COUNCIL HOARDING PROTOCOL 1. The London Fire Brigade Bromley Team (LFB BT) will support Bromley Council Environmental Services Public Health and Nuisance Team (PHNT) when responding to individuals who are identified as Hoarders. This will be on the basis of a request from Public Protection officers to the LFB for a free Home Fire Safety Visit assessed by them against the current council protocol, where the accumulation of combustible hoarded materials in the property represents a serious fire risk to the occupant. 2. The LFB BT will visit the property to supply Home Fire Safety advice and providing where necessary smoke alarms (and any other suitable fire prevention materials) for the premises. This process will be overseen by the PPT and suitable practitioners from the LFB Bromley Team (either Community Safety Officers or Fire fighters as deemed appropriate) identified for the Home Fire Safety visit (HFSV). This process will be fully risk assessed jointly, following a partner discussion with both parties. 3. The LFB BT will also contact Public Protection PHNT (by e-mail to ehts.customer@bromley.gov.uk or phone to 0300 303 8657), and identify addresses where hoarding activities are suspected of taking place. These may be identified during LFB normal day to day activities. This will allow the PHNT to assess the public health risk to the resident and invoke the necessary partnership response. The Public Protection PHNT will inform all relevant departments of London Borough of Bromley of the hoarding issue raised. 4. The PHNT will inform the LFB BT of any address where hoarding is taking place (by e-mail and phone to the Station Manager, Bromley Fire Station). This will be for operational considerations only and not include personal information. This information will be placed on the incident ordering details and purely identify the additional unexpected fire loading within the premises. This information will be removed as soon as the hoarding issue is resolved and the fire risks reduced. Contact Name Tel No. Partner Team E-mail Peter Curtin Public Health and Nuisance Team 07554 333 229 Station Manager LFB Bromley Team 0300 303 8657 LBB Public Protection Team peter.curtin@london-fire.gov.uk public.health@bromley.gov.uk (for internal and partnership use only)