Care home fire drill record: free template and what the law expects

A fire in a care home is different from a fire anywhere else. Many residents can't get out on their own, some won't understand what's happening, and at night there may be only three or four staff for the whole building. That's why care home fire safety depends on staff who have practised, and on records that show they have.

Below is a fire drill record you can print or copy into a spreadsheet, followed by what the law and government guidance actually ask for.

The fire drill record template

Home: ____________ Drill no.: ____ Date: ____________ Time started: ______

Day or night drill (or simulated night): ____________ Announced to staff? Yes / No

Scenario: (for example "Fire in the laundry, ground floor, zone 3")

---

Total time from alarm to residents in a place of safety (or simulated): ________

Staff who took part

What went well, what didn't, what we'll change

Drill led by: ____________ Signed (registered manager): ____________

A filled-in example

Night drill, 02:15, Room 14 smoke detector, first floor east wing. Three staff on duty.

• Alarm at 02:15:00. Senior carer at the panel by 02:15:50, zone identified.
• Second carer checked Room 14 by 02:16:40 (simulated smoke). Fire service call simulated at 02:17:00.
• Fire doors to east wing closed by 02:17:30. Simulated move of residents in Rooms 12 to 16 to the west wing compartment, walked through using PEEPs.
• Finding: the third carer didn't know where the evacuation mats were stored on the first floor. Action: show all night staff the mat locations at next handover, add a sign. Owner: deputy manager, within 7 days.
• Finding: PEEP for Room 15 still said "walks with frame"; resident now needs two staff and a ski sheet. Action: update the PEEP today.

That is what a useful drill record looks like: times, names, honest findings and actions with owners.

What the law requires

England and Wales: the Fire Safety Order

The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 applies in both England and Wales, enforced by the local fire and rescue service. It makes the responsible person (usually the provider) responsible for fire safety. For a care home that means, among other things:

• A fire risk assessment, recorded in writing. Since 1 October 2023, changes under the Building Safety Act 2022 mean responsible persons in England must record the full fire risk assessment and fire safety arrangements in writing, whatever the size of the business.
• Emergency procedures, including safety drills (article 15), and enough competent people to carry out an evacuation.
• Training for staff when they start and when risks change, repeated periodically where appropriate (article 21).
• Fire equipment maintained in efficient working order (article 17).

The government guide for residential care

The government's guide Fire safety risk assessment: residential care premises fills in the detail. It's guidance, not law, but it is the government's own explanation of how to meet the Order in a care home:

• Drills should be carried out at least annually, or as determined by your fire risk assessment, and the outcome recorded.
• Night conditions: either have one drill at night or simulate night-time conditions, because staffing is lowest then.
• Training must be given to new, agency and temporary staff before they start work, be repeated periodically, and be verifiable.
• Evacuation strategy: where residents depend on staff, progressive horizontal evacuation is likely to be needed, moving people through a fire-resisting barrier to an adjoining protected area on the same floor.
• PEEPs: personal emergency evacuation plans may need to be considered, and may need to be incorporated into the person's care plan.
• Testing: fire warning systems tested once a week using a different call point each time; emergency lighting given a monthly function test and an annual full discharge test.

Skills for Care's training guide also suggests practice fire drills yearly as a minimum, alongside fire safety training.

Scotland

In Scotland, Part 3 of the Fire (Scotland) Act 2005 and the Fire Safety (Scotland) Regulations 2006 apply instead of the Fire Safety Order, with duties on the person who controls the premises, and the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service enforces them. The Scottish Government's Practical fire safety guidance for existing care homes says fire drills should take place at least twice a year, and each member of staff should take part at least once a year. It also expects records of training, including date, content, duration and who delivered it.

Northern Ireland

Northern Ireland has its own law: the Fire and Rescue Services (Northern Ireland) Order 2006 and the Fire Safety Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2010, enforced by the Northern Ireland Fire and Rescue Service. RQIA's minimum standards add care-home detail. The residential care home standards say all staff have fire training from a competent person at the start of employment, repeated at least twice every year, that there is an identified competent person responsible for fire safety, and that all staff take part in a fire evacuation drill at least once a year, with action on problems recorded. The nursing home standards include the same training frequency.

Who checks

Fire and rescue services enforce fire law in every nation. The care regulator also looks at fire safety as part of safe premises: CQC in England, Care Inspectorate Wales in Wales, the Care Inspectorate in Scotland and RQIA in Northern Ireland.

Making drills count

1. Plan a year of drills, covering every shift pattern so every member of staff, including night and bank staff, takes part.
2. Vary the scenario: different zones, a blocked exit, the person in charge "unavailable".
3. Time each step, not just the total.
4. Check PEEPs during the drill: are they current, and do staff know them?
5. Turn findings into actions with an owner and a date, and close them.
6. Link it to training: anyone who hasn't taken part in a drill or whose fire training has lapsed should show on your training matrix.

Or let ShiftComplete run it for you

ShiftComplete for care has the fire drill record built in, alongside the rest of your fire safety checks:

• Fire drills recorded on a phone or tablet: date, time, day or night, who took part and time to evacuate, with photos.
• Weekly fire alarm tests and monthly emergency lighting checks as recurring tasks, named and timestamped; missed checks show up on the dashboard.
• Due dates for your fire risk assessment review and other certificates.
• Everything included in your inspection pack, grouped under CQC's five key questions. See our CQC inspection checklist.

It costs £2.49 per active staff member per month, no minimum and no contract, and the first 60 days are free with no card needed. See it on our care homes page.