Residents fire safety behaviours: literature review

The aim of this research was to understand the existing evidence on the experiences of residents with regards to their knowledge and engagement in building safety and provide recommendations on what effective engagement on building safety looks like.

The evidence highlighted the following risk factors.

Age was found to be one of the most prominent personal risk factors. Older age groups were the most at risk of having a home fire. They were also more likely to have health issues and low mobility, affecting evacuation.

Physical and mental impairments were also found to play a large role in people’s behaviour during a fire. Hearing impairments were most frequently discussed in the evidence. Those who are deaf or have limited hearing may not be alerted of a fire as quickly as others. Mobility impairments were also found to cause evacuation difficulties.

Those who had experienced a residential fire, particularly if it had been in a multi-occupied building, tended to have higher levels of preparation, including planning evacuation and purchasing appropriate supplies.