5.1 Every actuation of the fire alarm must be treated as a potential fire; consequently the first action of the staff must be to call the fire & rescue service via 999 irrespective of the premises being linked to an Alarm Receiving Centre (ARC) and commence evacuation.
5.2 However, it may be possible for certain premises to have an agreed time delay to allow an investigation to be carried out to determine the cause of the fire alarm prior to deciding whether to call the fire and rescue service or not.
5.3 The decision to accept an agreed time delay will be based on a risk assessment carried out by the Local Authority Fire Officer and the CSCI inspector.
5.4 If an agreed time delay is authorised, details will be given in writing by the fire officer. This confirmation will state the times when a delay will be permitted and full details of the actions to be taken. This letter must be held in the fire log book and reflected in the premises fire risk assessment. A copy will be sent to the CSCI inspector.
5.5 Where a change occurs within the premises that may affect the safety of staff, service users or visitors, confirmation should be sought from the Local Authority Fire Officer to determine if the delay can continue. The Fire Officer will liase with the CSCI inspector, where necessary, and confirm the decision in writing as to whether to continue the agreed delay, amend the conditions or revoke the agreement. Again, this letter must be held within the fire log book and a copy sent to the CSCI inspector.
5.6 Should a delay be agreed and accepted, if any unexpected situation within the premises occurs that may affect the safety of the occupants, the time delay should be suspended immediately by the manager until the situation is rectified.
5.7 Where a time delay is agreed and accepted, this will form a specific part of the routine inspection carried out by the fire officer and the CSCI inspector to confirm that it is still acceptable.
5.8 The time delay can be revoked at any time by the fire officer or CSCI inspector with notification being given to the premises and the other authority by the inspector revoking the delay.
5.9 The provider/manager of the care home has a duty to inform the Commission for Social Care Inspection following any fire, no matter how small. The fire & rescue service will not carry out this task.
5.10 Details of any alarm actuation and any fire must be detailed in the fire logbook, giving sufficient details to allow an inspector to get a clear picture of what happened, where and why.
5.11 Following an incident within the premises, or notification from CSCI there will be a requirement to review the fire risk assessment to try and avoid any repetition of the incident.
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