Healthcare Evacuation Planning
Healthcare evacuation planning is essential for nursing homes, hospitals, and designated centres where vulnerable residents cannot evacuate independently. Our bespoke evacuation strategies ensure HIQA Regulation 28 compliance and meet Fire Services Act requirements. Plans include progressive horizontal evacuation, PEEPs, and staff procedures. Developed by qualified fire engineers. Professional indemnity insured.
Healthcare Evacuation Planning Ireland
Bespoke healthcare evacuation planning for residential care facilities, fully compliant with HIQA Regulation 28 requirements. Our plans address progressive horizontal evacuation, Personal Emergency Evacuation Plans (PEEPs), and the unique challenges of evacuating vulnerable residents. All documentation prepared by qualified fire engineers with extensive healthcare sector experience.
Healthcare evacuation planning is essential for protecting vulnerable residents who may be bedbound, have limited mobility, or cognitive impairments that prevent them from evacuating independently. At Phoenix STS, we develop specialist evacuation plans for nursing homes, hospitals, and designated centres across Ireland, ensuring your facility has clear, compliant documentation that meets HIQA Regulation 28 requirements and supports safe emergency evacuation.
⚕️ HIQA Regulation 28: Evacuation Planning for Designated Centres
HIQA Regulation 28 (Fire Precautions) requires that designated centres for older people maintain adequate arrangements for evacuating residents safely in the event of fire. This includes documented evacuation procedures, sufficient staffing levels for evacuation, appropriate evacuation equipment, and regular evacuation drills.
Phoenix STS develops healthcare evacuation plans that directly support your Regulation 28 compliance, providing the documented evidence HIQA inspectors require during registration and inspection visits.
HIQA
Regulation 28 Compliant
PAS 79-1:2020
Integrated Approach
Fire Engineering
Qualified Expertise
PI Insurance
Full Cover
Healthcare Evacuation Planning Enquiries
Why Healthcare Facilities Need Specialist Evacuation Planning
🛡️ Resident Safety
Vulnerable residents cannot evacuate independently. A tailored evacuation plan ensures staff know exactly how to relocate residents safely during an emergency, minimising risk to life.
📋 Legislative Compliance
Demonstrate your commitment to meeting HIQA Regulation 28, Building Control Regulations Part B, the Fire Services Act 1981 (as amended), and the Safety, Health and Welfare at Work Act 2005.
🏥 Progressive Horizontal Evacuation
Healthcare facilities rely on phased evacuation strategies. Our plans clearly define fire compartment boundaries, internal assembly points, and staff responsibilities for each evacuation phase.
✅ Regulatory Inspections
Comprehensive evacuation documentation streamlines HIQA inspections and demonstrates your facility’s commitment to fire safety compliance. Clear plans reduce inspection findings and support registration renewal.
🎓 Staff Confidence
Well-documented plans, combined with staff training, ensure personnel can respond effectively during emergencies rather than relying on improvised responses.
⏱️ Reduced Response Times
Pre-planned evacuation procedures, combined with coordination with local fire services, reduce confusion and response times during actual emergencies.
Unique Evacuation Challenges in Healthcare Facilities
Healthcare evacuation planning requires specialist expertise because residential care facilities present challenges not found in typical commercial premises:
🧑🦽 Evacuating Vulnerable Residents
- Residents who are bedbound or have severely limited mobility
- Residents with cognitive impairments (dementia, Alzheimer’s) who may not respond appropriately to alarms
- Residents requiring oxygen therapy or other medical equipment
- Residents who cannot follow verbal evacuation instructions
- 24-hour care with residents sleeping on premises
🔄 Healthcare Evacuation Complexity
- Progressive horizontal evacuation strategies rather than immediate full evacuation
- Fire compartmentation requirements for phased evacuation
- Specialist evacuation equipment (ski sheets, evacuation chairs, rescue mattresses)
- Personal Emergency Evacuation Plans (PEEPs) for individual residents
- Staffing levels that vary between day and night shifts
- Coordination with emergency services for external evacuation
🏢 Building and Operational Factors
- Fire door integrity and hold-open device management
- Automatic fire detection coverage in all resident areas
- Integration with fire alarm systems (I.S. 3218)
- Emergency lighting adequacy (I.S. 3217)
- Access routes for fire service vehicles and equipment
- Medical gas storage and oxygen-enriched environments
Our Healthcare Evacuation Planning Process
Initial Consultation and Document Review
We review existing fire safety documentation including your fire risk assessment, current evacuation procedures, building plans, and fire safety management arrangements. We gather information about resident numbers, dependency levels, and staffing patterns across all shifts.
Site Survey and Assessment
A qualified fire safety engineer conducts an on-site survey to verify building layout, identify escape routes, confirm compartment boundaries, assess evacuation equipment provision, and evaluate staffing adequacy for evacuation. We observe operational practices and identify any gaps between documented procedures and actual capability.
Evacuation Strategy Development
We develop a bespoke evacuation strategy tailored to your facility, incorporating progressive horizontal evacuation procedures, fire compartment capacities and internal assembly points, evacuation equipment requirements and locations, PEEP templates for individual resident assessments, staff roles and responsibilities by shift pattern, and communication protocols with emergency services.
Documentation Preparation
We prepare comprehensive evacuation documentation including written evacuation procedures, evacuation plan drawings to ISO 23601:2009, PEEP assessment templates, staff briefing materials, and drill planning guidance. All documentation is formatted to support HIQA inspection requirements.
Implementation Support and Training
We support implementation through staff training programmes, evacuation drill facilitation, and guidance on embedding procedures into daily operations. We can attend initial drills to observe and provide feedback on staff performance.
Key Features of Our Healthcare Evacuation Plans
- Progressive horizontal evacuation procedures
- Fire compartment boundaries and capacities
- Internal assembly point designations
- Evacuation equipment specifications
- PEEP assessment templates
- Staff role assignments by shift
- Night-time evacuation procedures
- External assembly point locations
- Fire service liaison arrangements
- Drill planning and recording templates
- Integration with fire risk assessment findings
- HIQA Regulation 28 evidence documentation
Legislative Framework for Healthcare Evacuation Planning
- Fire Services Act 1981 (as amended): The person in control must take all necessary fire safety measures, including documented evacuation procedures appropriate to the occupancy.
- Building Control Regulations Part B: Fire safety design must ensure adequate compartmentation to support phased evacuation and safe means of escape for all occupants.
- HIQA Regulation 28 (Fire Precautions): Sets specific requirements for designated centres to demonstrate robust fire safety measures, including evacuation procedures, adequate staffing for evacuation, and regular evacuation drills.
- Safety, Health and Welfare at Work Act 2005: Imposes general duties on employers to safeguard health and safety, including emergency planning and evacuation arrangements.
- I.S. 3218: Irish Standard for fire detection and alarm systems, relevant to alarm activation protocols in evacuation procedures.
- I.S. 3217: Irish Standard for emergency lighting, ensuring illuminated escape routes during evacuation.
⚠️ Healthcare Evacuation Planning Insurance
Given the life-safety critical nature of evacuation planning in healthcare facilities, it is essential that your provider carries comprehensive professional indemnity insurance. Phoenix STS maintains comprehensive PI insurance specifically covering fire safety consultancy services for healthcare facilities, protecting your organisation should any deficiency in our work contribute to loss or regulatory action.
Benefits of Phoenix STS Healthcare Evacuation Planning
- Expert Guidance: Years of experience in fire engineering, risk assessment, and healthcare safety, with specific expertise in nursing homes and designated centres.
- Qualified Fire Safety Engineers: All evacuation plans developed by engineers with degrees in Fire Engineering (BEng) and extensive healthcare sector experience.
- Integrated Approach: Our evacuation plans integrate with PAS 79-1:2020 fire risk assessments, evacuation plan drawings, fire safety management systems, and staff training programmes.
- Regulatory Confidence: Clear documentation helps demonstrate compliance to HIQA inspectors, supporting successful registration and inspection outcomes.
- Ongoing Support: Periodic reviews and updates when your premises, resident population, or staffing arrangements change.
- CPD-Certified Training: Comprehensive range of onsite courses and online courses to embed evacuation procedures through staff competency development.
Healthcare Evacuation Planning FAQs
What is progressive horizontal evacuation?
Progressive horizontal evacuation is the standard evacuation strategy for nursing homes and healthcare facilities. Rather than immediately evacuating all residents outside (which would be impractical and potentially harmful for dependent residents), staff move residents from the fire-affected compartment to an adjacent fire-protected compartment on the same floor. This allows residents to shelter in relative safety while staff continue evacuation if necessary. The building must be properly compartmented for this strategy to work, and our plans clearly define compartment boundaries and internal assembly points.
What is a Personal Emergency Evacuation Plan (PEEP)?
A PEEP is an individualised evacuation plan for a person who may need assistance to evacuate safely. In nursing homes, PEEPs should be completed for each resident, documenting their mobility level, cognitive status, communication needs, medical equipment dependencies, and the specific assistance and equipment required for their evacuation. Our evacuation planning service includes PEEP assessment templates tailored for healthcare settings.
How often should evacuation plans be reviewed?
Evacuation plans should be reviewed whenever there are changes to building layout, fire safety systems, compartmentation, resident population characteristics, or staffing arrangements. They should also be reviewed following any fire risk assessment update, HIQA inspection findings, or actual evacuation incident. As a minimum, annual review is recommended to ensure procedures remain current and effective.
What documentation will I receive?
You will receive comprehensive evacuation documentation including: written evacuation procedures for all phases, evacuation plan drawings to ISO 23601:2009 (if commissioned), PEEP assessment templates, staff role cards and briefing materials, drill planning and recording templates, and fire service liaison information. All documentation is formatted to provide the evidence HIQA inspectors require under Regulation 28.
How does evacuation planning relate to fire risk assessment?
Evacuation planning and fire risk assessment are closely linked but distinct services. Your fire risk assessment identifies hazards and evaluates the adequacy of existing fire precautions, including evacuation arrangements. The evacuation plan provides the detailed procedures, documentation, and staff guidance needed to implement effective evacuation. We recommend completing or reviewing your fire risk assessment before or alongside evacuation planning to ensure consistency.
Do you provide evacuation drills and training?
Yes. Phoenix STS offers CPD-certified nursing home fire safety training and healthcare fire compartment drill facilitation. Training ensures staff understand evacuation procedures and can execute them effectively. We can also attend drills to observe performance and provide feedback for improvement.
Can you help with HIQA inspection preparation?
Yes. Our evacuation planning documentation is designed to provide the evidence HIQA inspectors require under Regulation 28. We can also provide ongoing support including fire safety training, fire risk assessment, and assistance addressing any action plan items arising from previous inspections. If you have an upcoming HIQA inspection and concerns about evacuation planning compliance, contact us to discuss your requirements.
What staffing levels are needed for evacuation?
Staffing adequacy for evacuation depends on resident numbers, dependency levels, building layout, and compartmentation. Our evacuation planning process includes assessment of staffing requirements for each shift, with recommendations if current levels may be insufficient for safe evacuation. This is a critical consideration for night shifts when staffing is typically reduced.
Related Healthcare Evacuation Services
Take the First Step Towards Enhanced Resident Protection
Contact Phoenix STS to discuss your healthcare evacuation planning requirements, or to learn more about our complete range of fire safety consultancy services.
Page last updated: January 2026
