Call alarms – principal risks
By David Waters, Managing Director CHIS and PrimeCare Insurance
October 18, 2011
We all need the reassurance a call alarm holds — the knowledge that aid is only a phone call or a button press away in an emergency. What a tragedy it is when the very system we rely on fails at the most crucial time of need. This is well documented in a devastating fire which occurred in 2004.
The owner of a care home employed an electrician to install an alarm system as a precaution for residents and staff in a time of need. On fitting the alarm, however, the electrician wired up the system incorrectly and as a result, the alarm panel showed the ground floor as the first floor and the first floor appeared as the ground floor.
On the night of 31 January 2004, an electrical fault sparked a fire in a linen cupboard on the top floor of the care home where residents were asleep and the alarm sounded.
The fire brigade attending consulted the alarm panel which indicated the fire was on the ground floor of the care home. They investigated the ground floor and found no evidence of the fire.
Meanwhile on the floor above, the sleeping residents were being overcome by smoke.
The blaze and smoke inhalation caused the deaths of 14 residents, injuries to another four and significant damage to the home.
The care home’s fire safety representative did not know she had "any specific responsibilities" for health and safety and had not been made aware of her duties outlined in the home's health and safety policy document.
Legal action against the care home's owners did not result in any convictions, a criminal case against the owner collapsed in 2007 and charges under a fresh indictment in 2008 were also dropped.
Although the electrician made the initial error when they incorrectly installed the alarm system, the care home still upholds the responsibility to service the alarm system and safeguard evacuation plans in the event of an emergency.
Had the alarm been correctly wired or the flaw had been found in a safety inspection, it is possible many lives would have been saved.
In my experience, another big issue is the call alarm cords are tied up out of easy access for the resident, which I believe is both cruel and a flagrant abuse of a care home’s responsibilities.
As Scotland’s largest fire-related care home loss of life incident to date, it is thought there were several contributing factors causing such devastation including electrical system overload, a worn protective sheath and a fault in the fusing or circuit breakers.
There is little doubt that two chairs placed in the corridor exacerbated the problems; initially acting as a blockage, then igniting causing a major release of smoke and heat.
Care home owners can take all the precautions and employ all the systems at their means but they are only as reliable as the people they employ to maintain and operate them. It is vital all staff are trained in their job functions and they need to fully appreciate their responsibilities. The fact that an employee thought they were effectively a name on a piece of paper and had no responsibility here is simply unacceptable.
Owners must ensure staff know how to respond to a call alarm and carry out routine checks of the building. The burden of checking the day-to-day safety of a home by every member of staff is sometimes overlooked. In care, you have a responsibility to always do that, especially when caring for vulnerable people.
There is a need for alarms to be serviced at least annually, to have safety measures and evacuation plans in place for emergencies, to initiate regular upholding of safety equipment and training, and the continuation of training to reiterate the importance and understanding to staff.
Care home owners should undertake all of these measures to prevent a recurrence of an incident like this ever happening again.