Most purpose-built blocks of flats are designed for a stay put strategy, where residents stay in their homes unless a fire affects them. If a building develops serious fire safety problems, such as defective external walls, the Responsible Person may need to change that to a temporary simultaneous evacuation, where everyone leaves together.
The NFCC Simultaneous Evacuation Guidance sets out how to support that change. It separates two roles: a waking watch, which patrols to detect fire and raise the alarm, and evacuation management, which coordinates the evacuation. Both rely on trained people who know the building.
The guidance treats this as an interim step and encourages a common fire alarm system as soon as possible. If you manage a building, read the current NFCC guidance and speak to your fire risk assessor about the right measures.
See our temporary simultaneous evacuation fire marshals service
Need cover? Email our control room.
We can get a guard on site within 90 minutes at most. 24/7, 365 days a year.