We have heard several reports of waking watch (fire wardens) being put in place or retained for the supposed benefit of specific disabled residents’ or to guard against perceived leaseholder liability. This is troubling on many counts. The Government’s third, and most recent, consultation on disabled people and fire safety emphasises a degree of unreasonablenessContinue reading “Inappropriateness of using Waking Watch for evacuation plans”
Tag Archives: PEEPs
Home Office workshops: Evacuation plans for disabled people and ‘information sharing’
The Government is hosting workshops as part of its Emergency Evacuation Information Sharing consultation. The consultation proposes scrapping the concept of mandatory evacuation plans for disabled people in blocks of flats, rejecting a key recommendation of the Grenfell Tower inquiry. The workshops are an opportunity for Home Office officials to explain the proposals and forContinue reading “Home Office workshops: Evacuation plans for disabled people and ‘information sharing’”
Shameful Government u-turn on evacuation plans for disabled people
We are horrified and deeply dismayed by Lord Greenhalgh’s announcement that the Government does not agree that disabled people should have a right to a personal emergency evacuation plan. This follows a 9-month wait since the Government’s second consultation on the matter. It now proposes to launch a third one. It is unconscionable that theContinue reading “Shameful Government u-turn on evacuation plans for disabled people”
Home Office’s delay and disregard for PEEPs: Write to your MP
This week, another peer expressed their concern about the Home Office’s handling on personal emergency evacuation plans for disabled people. Baroness Grey-Thompson and Baroness Brinton proposed a series of amendments to the Building Safety Bill that would have added to the bill explicit references to the need to protect disabled people living in high-rise blocksContinue reading “Home Office’s delay and disregard for PEEPs: Write to your MP”
Government reappoints the same company to write the ‘Means of Escape for Disabled People’ guidance: A statement from Claddag
Claddag are shocked and outraged to learn that the Home Office has commissioned C S Todd & Associates to re-write the Means of Escape for Disabled People, and the other suite of fire safety guidance documents. C S Todd & Associates authored the guidance document Fire Safety in Purpose-Built Flats, published by the Local GovernmentContinue reading “Government reappoints the same company to write the ‘Means of Escape for Disabled People’ guidance: A statement from Claddag”
Waking watch: disabled residents
Everyone must have the right to evacuate a building if their life is in danger. But insisting on waking watch provision is not the answer…
All-Party Parliamentary Group on Disability and Fire Safety
The APPG on Disability is jointly hosting a meeting on 12 July 2021 at 2pm to highlight the importance of the Government’s consultation on Personal Emergency Evacuation Plans for disabled residents unable to self-evacuate from buildings. The meeting will cover the Government’s key proposals and have input from disabled residents as to how the proposals need toContinue reading “All-Party Parliamentary Group on Disability and Fire Safety”
Mythbusting PEEPs #5: “You should be living on the ground floor”
There are two key problems with this view: 1) ignorance about accessible housing stock, and 2) failing to respect the right to choose where we live and why.
Mythbusting PEEPs #4: “They’re only for wheelchair users”
There is a whole range of reasons why a person may not be able to self-evacuate. Mobility is just one.
Mythbusting PEEPs #2: “Disabled people prefer to stay put”
This is a classic example of institutions and non-disabled experts putting words in our mouths in order to make their advice and policies more palatable…