As part of ensuring a building is as safe as possible, there may be a requirement for Personal Emergency Evacuation Plans (PEEP) to be completed.  The purpose of a PEEP is to ensure the safety of the name individual in a building evacuation situation. It explains the method of evacuation to be used by a disabled or impaired person in each building and is a personal plan, so it must be drawn up with the active participation of the person concerned. The PEEP will also record the safety plan, e.g. routes (corridors, stairs or refuges etc), identify those persons who will assist and any training or practice required.

The PEEP is appropriate for people with various disabilities or impairments, included those with temporary health conditions (e.g. a broken leg or pregnancy). People with non-visible impairments may also require assistance in an emergency situation (e.g. heart conditions / epilepsy).

Planning for evacuation is about planning for exceptional circumstances and as much as possible the aim should be to allow independent evacuation. Not all people who have an impairment or disability will require assisted evacuation. If people are confident that they can get out of the building unaided, a PEEP is not required. However, it is important not to assume, if the individual has a “hidden impairment”, such as a heart condition, and would not normally have an access problem, assistance will not necessarily be required in an emergency situation.

As with a Fire risk assessment the responsible person oversees initiating, completing and implementing a PEEP. It must include an emergency evacuation plan for all people likely to be in the premises, including disabled or impaired people, and how that plan will be implemented.

At Wishtower, we work with all stakeholders to make sure any required PEEP is undertaken. Given the unique characteristics of the different buildings we manage, and the need for a PEEP to take account of the building capabilities, impaired persons regularly there is not a “one size fits all”.  Any reasonable adjustments should take account of the need to provide disabled or impaired person access/evacuation and the safety of anyone volunteering to assist them to evacuate in an emergency.

If you have any queries regarding your property, please do not hesitate to contact us at [email protected]