NFRS Sleepovers Guidance

There has been a recent trend of premises hosting temporary sleepover events, despite not having the adequate fire precautions in place. During sleepovers people are more at risk from fire, due to being less aware of their surroundings and slower to react. It is the responsibility of the event organiser to ensure suitable fire safety measures are in place to alert those sleeping, allowing them to escape quickly and safely.

Buildings such as village halls, schools or youth clubs are not designed with the purpose of sleeping, and as such it may be the case that the building cannot be made safe enough to hold the sleepover at all. However, there may be alternative provisions that can be put in place to mitigate the risks.

If you are organising the sleepover and will be in control of the premises you will be the ‘responsible person’ and must comply with the Fire Safety Order. It is likely that the premises will already have a Fire Risk Assessment in place for the purpose of its everyday use. However, any change of use requires updating the Fire Risk Assessment to reflect the additional risk and take appropriate steps to reduce this.

The Fire Risk Assessment should take into consideration the whole premises, not just the group sleeping area, as a fire could develop undetected in a remote part of the building and hinder your escape. When carrying out the Fire Risk Assessment, the responsible person must:

• Identify people who may be at risk including children and people with disabilities who may need help to evacuate in the event of a fire.
• Ensure that there is an adequate means of detecting and alerting people if a fire occurs on the premises.
• If there is no emergency lighting on the premises, ensure that there is an appropriate means of illuminating escape routes in the event of a fire.
• Check that the escape routes and exit doors are sufficient for the number of people attending the sleepover. Ensure that escape routes are free from obstruction at all times, that exit doors can be easily opened, and that fire doors are kept closed.
• Ensure that there are enough fire extinguishers on the premises and that staff are aware of their location and operation.
• Prepare an evacuation plan to include the actions to be taken in the event of a fire, including calling the fire and rescue service and taking a roll call at a designated assembly point.
• Train staff or volunteers in fire safety procedures for the premises prior to the sleepover taking place.