One-Day Intensive Training Programme for Designated Centres (Nursing Homes)
This one-day Designated Centre Fire Safety Managers Course is designed specifically for senior leaders in designated centres who are ultimately responsible for fire safety governance. Unlike operational fire safety training, this course focuses on strategic oversight, legal accountability, and the governance frameworks that protect both residents and the organisation.
Senior management in nursing homes carries significant personal and corporate liability under Irish fire safety legislation. Under Section 80 of the Safety, Health and Welfare at Work Act 2005, directors, managers, and officers can be personally prosecuted where offences are attributable to their consent, connivance, or neglect. This programme ensures leaders understand their legal duties, can effectively oversee fire safety management systems, and are equipped to make informed decisions about resource allocation, risk acceptance, and regulatory compliance.
Course Overview
- Duration: One Day (08:30 AM – 5:00 PM daily)
- Contact Hours: 6 hours 45 minutes face-to-face learning (excluding breaks)
- Workshops: 3 interactive workshops (20 minutes each)
- Maximum Learners: 20 participants per session
- Delivery: Interactive lectures, group discussions, case study analysis, and theoretical workshops focused on fire safety management functions.
- CPD-Certified: Fire Safety Governance certificate
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| Interactive Workshops |
|---|
| Workshop 1: Roles & Responsibilities Matrix Working in groups, participants map fire safety responsibilities between the Registered Provider and Person in Charge using the HIQA Fire Safety Handbook framework. This exercise clarifies accountability boundaries and identifies potential gaps in your current governance arrangements |
| Workshop 2: Fire Safety Documentation Review Participants review sample fire safety documentation, including Fire Safety Register entries, certification forms, and maintenance records. The exercise develops skills in identifying compliance gaps and understanding what HIQA inspectors look for during regulatory visits. |
| Workshop 3: Evacuation Planning Scenario A tabletop exercise presenting a night-time fire scenario requiring evacuation decisions. Participants apply ASET/RSET principles, consider staffing levels, resident dependencies, and evacuation equipment requirements to develop an effective response within safe evacuation timeframes. |
Who Should Attend
This programme is designed for those with ultimate accountability for fire safety within designated centres:
- Registered Providers and company directors with legal responsibility for the centre
- Persons in Charge (PICs) and Directors of Nursing
- Regional and operations managers overseeing multiple centres
- Board members and trustees of nursing home organisations
- Chief executives and senior leaders in healthcare organisations
- Quality and governance leads are responsible for regulatory compliance
Key Learning Objectives
Upon successful completion of this two-day course, participants will be able to:
| Legal Accountability | Strategic Oversight | Risk-Based Decisions |
|---|---|---|
| Articulate your legal duties under fire safety legislation and explain how to demonstrate due diligence to regulators and enforcement authorities. | Establish governance frameworks that ensure effective fire safety management, appropriate reporting, and clear accountability throughout the organisation. | Evaluate fire risk assessment recommendations and make informed decisions about priorities, resource allocation, and acceptable risk levels. |
| HIQA Compliance | Incident Leadership | Continuous Improvement |
|---|---|---|
| Understand the requirements of HIQA Regulation 28 at the governance level and ensure your centre maintains compliance with fire safety standards. | Support clinical leadership during fire emergencies through clear governance arrangements, authority delegation, and post-incident learning processes. | Apply the Plan-Do-Check-Act cycle at the strategic level to drive ongoing fire safety improvements and respond to regulatory developments. |
Note: Participants should have a good command of English, as the course is delivered in English. While not mandatory, completing basic fire safety awareness training beforehand is beneficial for ensuring familiarity with fundamental concepts.
Why Fire Safety Governance Matters
Fire safety in nursing homes presents unique challenges that require informed leadership. Residents with reduced mobility, cognitive impairments, and complex care needs cannot evacuate independently. The consequences of inadequate fire safety governance extend beyond regulatory penalties to include potential criminal liability, reputational damage, and most critically, the safety of vulnerable people in your care.
The Evolving Regulatory Landscape
Since the 2003 amendment of the Fire Services Act, fire authorities are no longer obliged to provide complete evacuation services, shifting the onus onto nursing homes to ensure their own emergency preparedness.
The Health Information and Quality Authority (HIQA) mandates strict fire safety standards through Regulation 28 (Fire Precautions), requiring adequate means of escape, comprehensive staff training, and documented fire safety policies. HIQA’s “Fire Safety Handbook” (2023) provides detailed guidance for developing effective fire safety programmes and establishing a strong safety culture within designated centres.
The Critical Importance of Understanding Evacuation Planning
In nursing home environments, poorly executed evacuations can have devastating consequences. Residents may be immobile, wheelchair-dependent, or require significant assistance to evacuate safely. This course emphasises best practices, including:
- Progressive Horizontal Evacuation: Understanding the principles of moving residents to safe compartments on the same floor when immediate full evacuation isn’t feasible.
- Personal Emergency Evacuation Plans (PEEPs): Developing individualised assistance plans for residents with specific needs.
- Evacuation Equipment Selection: Understanding how to assess, select, and specify appropriate evacuation aids, including Ski Evacuation Sheets and evacuation chairs, based on resident profiles and building characteristics.
- Night-Time Preparedness: Strategies for managing evacuations with minimal staffing levels.
Personal Liability
Under Irish law, the person in control of premises is personally responsible for fire safety. Directors, registered providers, and persons in charge may face individual prosecution for failures that result in harm. Understanding your legal duties is not optional; it is essential for your protection and that of your organisation.
The Plan-Do-Check-Act Cycle in Fire Safety Management
Continuous improvement is fundamental to effective fire safety management. This course teaches the Plan-Do-Check-Act methodology:
- PLAN – Conduct strategic reviews of current fire safety status, gap analysis, set objectives, and assign responsibilities
- DO – Implement improvements: provide training, conduct risk assessments, update procedures
- CHECK – Measure compliance through inspections, audits, fire drill reviews, and incident analysis
- ACT – Refine fire safety management plans, address deficiencies, and adapt to legislative changes
Adopting this iterative cycle ensures fire safety measures remain robust and evolve with changing circumstances, ultimately fostering a resilient safety culture within nursing homes.
Certification & CPD
Upon successful completion, participants receive a CPD-certified Designated Centre Fire Safety Managers certificate. To maintain professional competence, we recommend annual CPD activities in fire safety governance, with a refresher course every three years to ensure currency with legislative and regulatory developments.
Refresher Training: We recommend refresher training every 3 years or when there are significant changes to legislation, work practices, or safety systems.
Phoenix STS – Authorised Training Provider
Phoenix STS is an established provider of specialised fire safety training for nursing home environments, delivering courses that meet the stringent requirements of Irish healthcare regulations and HIQA standards. Our instructors are experienced fire safety professionals, including qualified fire engineers and former fire officers with extensive knowledge of the designated centre sector.
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Frequently Asked Questions
In Ireland, primary legal responsibility falls on the person “having control” of the premises, typically the nursing home owner or manager. Under the Fire Services Act 1981 (as amended 2003), this person must take all reasonable measures to prevent fires and ensure occupant safety. Failure can result in severe penalties, including fines or imprisonment. HIQA’s care home regulations also hold the registered provider and the person in charge accountable for compliance with fire precautions (Regulation 28).
Vulnerable residents, elderly individuals with reduced mobility or cognitive impairments, often cannot evacuate independently. Fire safety training coordination is critical to protect these at-risk groups. HIQA and health authorities emphasise that fires in nursing homes can be devastating, so staff must be well-prepared to prevent and respond effectively. The Fire Safety Manager’s role is to ensure appropriate training is coordinated and delivered by qualified providers, ensuring staff can safely evacuate people with limited mobility or cognitive impairments, which is both a legal requirement and an ethical imperative.
HIQA’s Regulation 28 (Fire Precautions) integrates fire safety into daily nursing home routines. Management must conduct regular fire risk assessments and maintain up-to-date emergency plans. Daily operations include ensuring fire exits remain clear, fire doors aren’t propped open, and firefighting equipment and alarms are regularly checked. Ongoing vigilance, daily alarm panel checks, and weekly alarm tests are as crucial as formal training. Facilities schedule frequent drills and annual refresher training to maintain compliance and create a “fire-safe” culture.
This course provides theoretical knowledge of fire extinguisher types, fire class suitability, selection criteria, and maintenance requirements, as per I.S. 291:2015+A1:2022. Participants gain the understanding needed to coordinate and oversee staff fire extinguisher training through qualified providers. As Fire Safety Managers, participants learn what equipment is required, how to specify it, and how to ensure staff receive appropriate hands-on training from competent trainers, but this course itself does not include practical extinguisher use.
Yes. The course includes detailed information on evacuation aids used in nursing homes, including Ski Evacuation Sheets and Evacuation Chairs. Participants learn about equipment specifications, selection criteria based on resident profiles and building characteristics, procurement considerations, and how to coordinate equipment-specific training for staff through qualified providers. Fire Safety Managers gain the knowledge to make informed decisions about which evacuation aids are appropriate for their facility and ensure staff receive proper hands-on training from competent equipment trainers.
While Irish law doesn’t specify exact intervals, HIQA guidance strongly recommends monthly fire drills in nursing homes. Frequent drills ensure staff on all shifts, including nights and weekends, get hands-on evacuation practice. Regular drilling improves response times and coordination and helps fulfil HIQA fire preparedness requirements. Smaller assisted living facilities should conduct drills at least several times yearly, if not monthly.
HIQA’s fire safety regulations, including Regulation 28 (Fire Precautions), apply to all designated centres for older persons. Nursing homes under HIQA’s remit must meet comprehensive fire safety requirements, including fire risk assessments, documented emergency plans, regular staff training and fire drills, maintenance of fire safety systems, and appropriate record-keeping. HIQA monitors compliance during inspections and can take enforcement action if standards are not met. This course equips Fire Safety Managers with the knowledge to ensure their designated centre meets all HIQA fire safety requirements.
Yes. While all staff need basic fire awareness, managers and senior staff have additional compliance and coordination responsibilities. This Healthcare Fire Safety Managers Course provides advanced training covering leadership in emergencies, detailed legislative compliance, conducting drills and risk assessments, and developing effective fire safety policies, ensuring managers can confidently oversee comprehensive fire safety programmes and prepare for HIQA inspections.
The Fire Services Act 1981 (as amended) places clear duties on premises owners/operators to “take all reasonable measures” to prevent fires and protect occupants. For nursing homes, this means ensuring adequate fire safety measures (alarms, extinguishers, safe exits, evacuation plans), maintaining these systems, training staff, and conducting drills. Failing these obligations is a criminal offence; negligent owners face prosecution, fines, or imprisonment for serious breaches. Local fire authorities have inspection and enforcement powers under the Act.
Yes, all staff require fire safety training regardless of employment status or hours. Fire emergencies can occur at any time, and every person working in the facility must know how to respond and assist with evacuations. HIQA expects providers to ensure all people working in the centre are familiar with fire procedures and their emergency roles. Standard practice includes fire safety in induction training for any new or temporary staff, and agency workers receive briefings on fire exits, alarm signals, evacuation plans, and resident assistance protocols on their first day.
Related Fire Safety Services from Phoenix STS
PAS 79-1:2020 Fire Risk Assessment – Qualified fire engineers conduct comprehensive fire risk assessments for nursing homes
Evacuation Planning – Tailored emergency evacuation plans for nursing homes
Fire Door Inspections – Professional fire door inspections and certification to maintain passive fire protection
Fire Safety Consultancy – Expert consultancy services for HIQA compliance and fire safety system development
Page last updated: January 2025
