Fire costs so much. It costs people their lives, it costs millions in damages, and in care settings –

the impact of a fire can cost much more long after the flames have been put out.

Imagine the disruption caused by a hospital fire, even if no one has been hurt.

Imagine that the fire took out a large part of the building itself – this will cost money and time to repair the damage,

it may have destroyed vital pieces of equipment and machinery that are used to save lives, it can cause delays

for people that are due to have operations, very sick patients may have to be moved

or relocated which could set back their recovery.

Older patients, or those that are mentally unwell, may find it very difficult to cope with the change of circumstances.

Valuable patient records may have been lost and jobs may have been lost too.

And then there is the psychological impact on those who survive a fire.

People may experience grief, guilt, confusion and trauma from any injuries that have been sustained.

Knowing how to reduce the risks of a fire starting, and knowing what to do in an emergency, is simple but crucial.

We’ll start by looking at the nature of fire so you can see how it operates.