Fire Safety and Sprinklers in Care Homes

October 16, 2026

Fire safety is one of the areas that catch care home developers out most. It's not that they ignore it at all, it's that they simply don't appreciate how different fire safety is in a care home environment to a standard residential or commercial building.

Residents cannot self-evacuate. That one fact alone changes everything. It changes the compartmentation strategy, it changes the evacuation approach, it changes the fire alarm specification and it changes the level of documentation that CQC are going to expect to see on day one.

This guide looks at the regulatory regime, the September 2024 update to Approved Document B which now requires sprinklers in all new English care homes, what good design would be and the costs you need to factor in from the outset.

Why Care Homes Are High-Risk Buildings

Fire safety regs classify care homes as Purpose Group 2(b) (institutions for residential purposes). The design requirements are far more onerous than for a normal residential building as it's a Purpose Group 2(b) building.

Most residents have limited mobility — many use wheelchairs, frames, or need two-person assistance
Cognitive decline means residents may not respond appropriately to alarms
Staff-to-resident ratios are low overnight — a 70-bed home may have 4–6 night staff
Residents cannot self-evacuate. Every fire strategy must account for this from day one

The Four Regulatory Layers

Care home fire safety sits across four overlapping frameworks. You need to comply with all of them:

Approved Document B (ADB) — sets minimum fire safety standards for building design
Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 (RRO) — governs ongoing fire risk management
CQC Regulation 15 — premises must be safe; fire safety evidence is assessed at registration
BS 9251:2021 — the British Standard for residential sprinkler system design and installation

The RRO is the ongoing duty (from the day the building is occupied) and that requires a written fire risk assessment, a responsible person and a programme of regular review. The ADB sets what the building itself has to be. CQC will check that the operator has the evidence to show that it all works. BS 9251 is the technical standard that your sprinkler contractor will design to.

The September 2024 ADB Update: Sprinklers in All New Care Homes

The major change. Prior to the 2024 update to Approved Document B, sprinklers were only required in care homes over 18m in height. That height threshold has now been removed.

All new care homes in England must have a sprinkler system regardless of height or number of storeys
This applies to both nursing homes and residential care homes
Extensions of more than 200m² to existing premises are also captured
Scotland and Wales already had broader requirements; England has now aligned

Sprinkler System Costs by Home Size

Sprinkler installation costs will vary according to the size of the building, the number of heads, the complexity of the layout and the proximity to an adequate water supply. The figures below are based on current market rates for care home sprinkler installations in England:

Home Size	Approx. Beds	Indicative Cost	Cost per Bed
Small single-storey	25–35 beds	£45,000–£70,000	£1,700–£2,200
Medium	50–60 beds	£65,000–£95,000	£1,300–£1,700
Larger scheme	70–80 beds	£85,000–£130,000	£1,100–£1,600
Multi-storey (3+ floors)	80–120 beds	£120,000–£200,000	£1,200–£1,700

These figures cover supply and installation only and do not include a water storage tank or booster pump (if required). Where a site requires a dedicated water storage tank due to inadequate mains pressure, an additional £10k–£30k will be required.

Compartmentation: The 10-Bed Rule

Sprinklers don't replace compartmentation (they work in conjunction with it). Under ADB ,care homes must be compartmentalized to limit the spread of fire and smoke and to provide refuges for horizontal evacuation.

The standard compartment size in a care home is a maximum of 10 resident bedrooms. Each compartment must be separated by construction which is capable of resisting fire for a minimum period and all openings (doors, service penetrations) must be protected.

What this means in practice:

Element	Minimum Standard	Notes
Compartment walls and floors	60 minutes fire resistance (REI 60)	Between resident bedroom zones
Bedroom doors (to corridor)	FD30S (30-minute fire door, smoke-sealed)	Self-closing device required
Corridor fire doors	FD30S minimum, FD60S in some locations	Held open devices must fail-safe to closed
Service penetrations	Fire-stopped to same rating as the element	Cables, pipes, ducts — all must be stopped
Escape stair enclosures	REI 60 or REI 30 depending on configuration	Confirmed by fire engineer
Lift shafts	Protection required where adjacent to high-risk areas	Lobby protection may be needed

Fire doors are a continual problem. The most common fire safety failures identified by both the CQC and the fire authorities are poor ironmongery, doors left open with wedges and damage due to the daily use of wheelchairs and equipment. Specify commercial quality ironmongery right from the outset.

Progressive Horizontal Evacuation (PHE)

PHE is the standard evacuation procedure for care homes. Rather than evacuate the building as such, the residents are moved from their current fire compartment into the adjacent compartment on the same floor which then becomes a temporary refuge.

This is then repeated as and when necessary, moving the occupants progressively away from the fire, and using the building's compartmentation to give the fire service time to enter and deal with the situation.

PHE design requirements affect your floor plan at every stage. You need:

Requirement	Detail
Adjacent refuge zones	Each compartment must be able to receive the residents from its neighbour without exceeding safe capacity
Clear corridors	Evacuation routes must be wide enough for two care workers moving a resident in a bed or chair (minimum 1800mm)
Refuge spaces	Sufficient floor area in each compartment to hold transferred residents — sized in the fire strategy
Staff coverage	PHE only works with adequate staffing — the fire strategy will specify minimum staff-to-resident ratios at night
PEEP for every resident	A Personal Emergency Evacuation Plan must exist for every resident and be known to all staff
Staff training	Regular fire drills must include PHE — not just assembly point evacuation

What Goes in a Fire Strategy Document

A fire strategy document is a written record of how the building meets the fire safety requirements. It's prepared by a fire engineer and submitted as part of your building control application. It's also a live document that the care operator will use to manage the day-to-day fire safety.

Section	Contents
1. Building Description	Use, construction type, number of storeys, occupancy
2. Regulatory Compliance Route	ADB, BS alternatives, or bespoke fire engineered approach
3. Means of Escape	Escape routes, travel distances, exit widths
4. Compartmentation	Compartment sizes, fire resistance periods, door schedules
5. Evacuation Strategy	PHE route confirmation, staff ratios, PEEP requirement
6. Fire Detection and Alarm	Alarm category (L1 for care homes), zone layout
7. Suppression Systems	Sprinkler specification, water supply, BS 9251 compliance
8. Emergency Lighting	Coverage, duration, testing regime
9. Maintenance and Management	FRA schedule, staff training, review frequency

The fire strategy must be signed off by a suitably qualified fire engineer. Building Control will look at it as part of the full plans application and it should be updated if any design changes have an impact on fire safety.

Fire Safety on Live Sites: Extensions and Refurbishments

If you're extending or refurbishing an existing care home rather than building completely from scratch then fire safety becomes considerably more complicated.

Key points:

Scenario	Fire Safety Implication
Extension over 200m²	Sprinklers required in the new extension under ADB 2024
Extension connected to existing building	Interface compartmentation must be addressed — you cannot just join the new to the old
Major internal refurbishment	Opportunity (and often obligation) to upgrade compartmentation and fire doors to current standards
Works while home is occupied	Hot-work permit system required; temporary fire precautions must be maintained; residents may need relocation from affected areas
Change of use	Full fire safety re-assessment required; existing building may not meet current standards without significant works
Re-roofing or structural works	Check for existing deficiencies in loft compartmentation — a common issue in older care homes

The key rule for occupied sites is that you must never compromise the fire safety in place. You must maintain the integrity of the compartmentation, you must have the fire doors shut, you must have the alarms working and you must have the temporary precautions properly documented and communicated to staff.

What CQC Looks for at Pre-Registration Inspection

CQC assess fire safety in accordance with Regulation 15 (Premises and Equipment). Their inspector is not a fire safety inspector per se, they will request documentation and will pass on any concerns to the fire authority.

Make sure you have the following ready before pre-registration inspection:

Fire risk assessment (completed post-construction, pre-occupation)
Sprinkler system commissioning certificate (BS 9251)
Fire alarm commissioning certificate
Emergency lighting test certificate
Staff fire safety training records
Personal Emergency Evacuation Plans (PEEPs) for all residents
Fire strategy document and as-built drawings
Building control completion certificate

Missing documentation is the most common fire safety issue found during a CQC inspection. The building could be absolutely safe, but if you can't produce the commissioning certificate for the sprinkler system ,that's going to be a registration delay.

Common Developer Mistakes

Mistake	Impact	How to Avoid
Appointing fire engineer too late	Compartmentation changes needed at Stage 4 — costly and delays programme	Appoint at RIBA Stage 2
No sprinkler allowance in appraisal	Viability gap discovered late in project	Include from first appraisal — minimum £1,100/bed
Inadequate water supply assessment	Tank and booster pump required — adds £10k–£30k	Check mains pressure at feasibility stage
Under-specified fire doors	CQC and fire authority issues at inspection; doors fail quickly in care environment	Specify commercial-grade ironmongery; self-closing devices on all doors
Compartmentation not checked during M&E first fix	Service penetrations left un-stopped; defect discovered at completion	Include compartmentation inspection at first fix sign-off
Fire strategy not updated after design changes	As-built differs from consented scheme; building control query at completion	Track all changes; update fire strategy before completion

Full Fire Safety Cost Breakdown: 70-Bed New Build

The following are the figures for a typical 70 bed new build care home in England. Costs will of course vary from site to site and from specification to specification.

Item	Low	High
Sprinkler system (supply and install)	£85,000	£130,000
Fire alarm system (L1, addressable)	£18,000	£28,000
Emergency lighting	£10,000	£18,000
Fire doors and ironmongery (all internal)	£30,000	£55,000
Fire stopping and compartmentation	£10,000	£22,000
Fire strategy document and fire engineering fees	£6,000	£12,000
Building control fire inspection fees	£2,500	£5,000
Sprinkler tank and pump (if required)	£12,000	£28,500
Total	£173,500	£298,500
Per bed (70 beds)	£2,480	£4,260

Benchmarking note

Most 70-bed schemes we see land in the £210,000–£260,000 range for total fire safety costs. The variables are mainly whether a sprinkler tank is needed and the quality of the fire door specification. Budget at £3,000–£3,500 per bed as a realistic planning figure.

Key Actions for Developers

Appoint a fire engineer at RIBA Stage 2 (concept design), not Stage 4
Include sprinkler allowance in your development appraisal from the start
Check whether your insurer offers premium reductions for sprinklers — some do
For refurbs, establish existing compartmentation before pricing works
Always have a copy of the fire strategy on site and pass it to the care operator from day one.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do you need sprinklers in every room?

Yes. Under BS 9251:2021 and the ADB guidance,all rooms and circulation areas in a new care home must have sprinklers in them, including the en-suites. Some roof voids may be exempt depending on the type of construction (your fire engineer will advise).

Who designs the sprinkler system?

A specialist sprinkler contractor or fire engineer will design the system to BS 9251:2021. This has to be coordinated with your M&E engineer at an early stage. The system design must be included in your building control submission.

What is Progressive Horizontal Evacuation and is it always required?

PHE is the strategy of moving people horizontally from one fire compartment to an adjacent safe area on the same floor (i.e. no vertical evacuation). It is the standard in care homes as vertical evacuation is not viable for the non-ambulant. It is almost always the strategy required (your fire strategy will ,of course ,specify the compartment sizes and refuge zones).

Does a care home refurbishment need sprinklers?

Not automatically. Existing buildings are not required to be retrofitted with sprinklers as part of the ADB update unless you're extending by more than 2200 m². Your own fire risk assessment may well recommend that you do so, and, of course, CQC could have concerns if the existing fire safety is inadequate. Many developers will still go ahead and retrofit during a major refurb anyway ,as it's a lot cheaper to do it during a strip-out than it is aafterward

Will having sprinklers reduce my building insurance premium?

Potentially yes. Some insurers will offer a 0- 25% premium reduction or a fully sprinklered care home. Get the quotes both ways as the annual saving could in part offset the capital cost over the life of the building.

How long does Fire Strategy ssign-offtake?

If you get a fire engineer on board early and work with building control from the outset then fire strategy sign off is generally achieved as part of the standard building regs process. The problem comes if you leave fire safety until later on ,when you're faced with having to make changes to compartmentation at stage 4 or 5 ,which is very expensive and causes a delay.

What would happen if a CQC inspection found fire safety gaps?

CQC can delay or refuse registration. They assess Regulation 15 compliance during pre-registration inspection and will require evidence of a completed fire risk assessment, sprinkler commissioning, alarm certificates, staff training records, and PEEPs. Missing documentation is the most common issue — plan for it as part of your pre-opening programme.