A Residential PEEP — legally called an Emergency Evacuation Statement — is a personalised plan that explains how a resident who cannot evacuate unaided will reach a place of safety during a fire. It includes their flat number, floor level, the help they need, and the agreed evacuation route.
Residential Evacuation Plan legislation applies to:
The Responsible Person (the organisation managing the building) must:
A PCFRA identifies risks linked to a resident’s ability to react, escape, or avoid fire hazards.
A PEEP/Evacuation Statement sets out the actual evacuation plan based on those risks.
They prevent residents from improvising in an emergency — as seen in your script’s opening story — and ensure firefighters have accurate information, reducing risk to the resident and their neighbours.
A relevant resident is someone whose ability to evacuate unaided is compromised by:
A layered approach works best:
Examples include:
Yes. Residents can decline support.
If they do, the Responsible Person must record the refusal and reassure them that the fire service will still attend.
A PEEP/Evacuation Statement must include:
A place of relative safety is typically a refuge area — a fire‑resistant, ventilated compartment designed to protect residents for at least an hour until firefighters arrive
Yes — but only if the lift is designed and certified for fire service use or evacuation, and only with confirmation from a competent fire risk assessor and lift engineer who will confirm the lifts cause and effects are configured appropriately.
PEEPs must be reviewed every 12 months, or sooner if:
