This Personal Emergency Evacuation Plans (PEEPs) Awareness course is for workers, managers and other staff who may contribute to individual emergency evacuation planning. It explains how person-centred evacuation arrangements can support people whose mobility, sensory, cognitive, communication or health needs may make standard emergency procedures unsuitable.
This free course covers the purpose of PEEPs, individual assessment, legal responsibilities, building and staffing considerations, practical plan development, safe testing and review. Learners will also explore how evacuation arrangements vary between premises and settings, including care services, supported living, housing, hospitals and schools, and when concerns should be referred to a competent fire-safety or management lead.
Why Take This eLearning Course?
Effective evacuation planning needs to consider the individual, the building and the people available to provide assistance. This course supports staff to understand their contribution to that process, recognise when an individual plan may be required and identify arrangements that need further assessment or escalation.
This course will help you to:
- Understand the purpose of a Personal Emergency Evacuation Plan.
- Recognise people who may need individual evacuation support.
- Take a person-centred approach rather than relying on assumptions about disability or diagnosis.
- Understand how individual arrangements connect with wider fire and emergency procedures.
- Consider the effects of building design, evacuation routes, staffing and timing.
- Recognise the importance of suitable assistance, equipment and staff competence.
- Contribute useful information when evacuation arrangements are developed or reviewed.
- Identify common weaknesses that can make an evacuation plan unreliable.
- Understand the importance of testing, communication and regular review.
- Recognise when specialist, management or competent fire-safety advice is required.
Learning Outcomes
By the end of this course, you will be able to:
- Define the purpose of a PEEP and explain its role in safe evacuation planning.
- Identify physical, sensory, cognitive, communication and health needs that may affect evacuation.
- Explain how individual evacuation arrangements fit with the premises fire risk assessment and emergency strategy.
- Outline relevant fire-safety responsibilities and the boundaries of specific Residential PEEP requirements.
- Assess how building conditions, staffing and timing can influence an evacuation arrangement.
- Describe appropriate considerations for assistance, evacuation equipment and staff competence.
- Identify the core information that should be included in a practical individual evacuation plan.
- Explain how a PEEP can be tested, reviewed and communicated safely.
- Distinguish between evacuation considerations in different premises and service settings.
- Identify unsafe assumptions and situations that require escalation or competent advice.
Personal Emergency Evacuation Plans (PEEPs) Awareness Course Outline
Module 1: Understanding Personal Emergency Evacuation Plans
Learners will explore the purpose of a PEEP and how individual evacuation arrangements support people whose needs may not be met by standard emergency procedures. The module considers physical, sensory, cognitive and health-related factors that may create a need for individual support, while emphasising assessment based on actual abilities and circumstances rather than assumptions. Learners will also examine how a PEEP should work alongside the premises evacuation strategy, staffing arrangements, routes and equipment, and how relevant information may connect with care, support and fire-risk records.
Module 2: Legal Responsibilities and Residential PEEP Requirements
Learners will develop awareness of responsibilities under the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005, including fire risk assessment, emergency procedures, competent assistance, information, training and review. The module explains the distinct roles of the Fire Safety Act 2021, Fire Safety (England) Regulations 2022 and relevant Building Safety Act 2022 provisions. It also introduces the defined Residential PEEP duties that came into force in England on 6 April 2026, including their scope, person-centred assessment process, review and information-sharing requirements. Learners will consider why legal requirements must be applied according to the nation, building type and circumstances rather than treated as universal rules.
Module 3: Assessing Individual Needs and Practical Support
Learners will consider the range of individual factors that can influence evacuation, including walking ability, stair use, wheelchair transfers, sight, hearing, communication, cognition, health, endurance and temporary changes in ability. The module examines how building conditions, protected areas, escape routes, staffing levels and the time needed to provide support affect whether an arrangement is realistic. Learners will also explore different types of assistance, backup planning, equipment suitability and staff competence, together with person-centred approaches for people who may experience cognitive difficulties, distress or resistance during an emergency.
Module 4: Developing a Workable PEEP
Learners will examine the practical information that should be recorded in an individual evacuation plan, including how the person receives an alert, their expected response, the agreed evacuation route or method, required assistance, equipment, destination and backup arrangements. The module explains how these details should match the premises evacuation strategy and fire risk assessment. Examples involving sight loss, mobility needs, hearing loss and cognitive needs demonstrate how arrangements can differ between individuals. Learners will also consider the checks required before a plan is relied upon and the boundaries between contributing practical knowledge and making technical decisions outside their competence.
Module 5: Testing, Reviewing and Communicating the Plan
Learners will explore safe ways to test an evacuation arrangement through suitable drills, walk-throughs or other exercises while avoiding unnecessary risks. The module considers when plans should be reviewed following changes to a person’s abilities, staffing, location, escape routes, building arrangements or lessons from an exercise or incident. Learners will examine how practical evacuation information should be communicated to relevant staff while protecting unnecessary personal information, as well as the additional consent and information-sharing requirements that apply where the Residential PEEP Regulations are in scope. The module also explains how to respond when an arrangement becomes unreliable, including reporting, interim measures, review and escalation.
Module 6: Applying PEEPs Across Different Settings
Learners will examine how purpose-built and adapted properties can provide different evacuation options and why plans must reflect the actual fire protection and escape arrangements of each building. The module compares considerations across care settings, hospitals, supported living, housing and education, demonstrating why an arrangement suitable in one premises should not automatically be copied into another. Learners will also identify common mistakes such as generic plans, unsupported disability assumptions, missing backup arrangements, untrained equipment use, unrealistic staffing assumptions and failure to test or review. The course concludes by explaining when staff should seek competent advice or escalate concerns involving fire strategy, building design, equipment, complex assistance or unresolved evacuation risks.
Target Audience
This course is suitable for:
- Health and social care workers who may support people during an emergency.
- Care home, supported living and community support staff.
- Managers and team leaders involved in emergency or risk-management arrangements.
- Staff who contribute information to individual evacuation planning.
- Housing, education or other professionals who need an introduction to person-centred evacuation arrangements.
- Employees who need greater awareness of when specialist fire-safety advice or escalation is required.
No previous specialist knowledge is required.
FAQ
Who is this course suitable for?
The course is suitable for staff, managers and other professionals who need an awareness of individual emergency evacuation planning. It is particularly relevant to health and social care services but also explains considerations applicable to housing, education and other settings where people may require individual evacuation support.
Do I need any previous experience?
No specialist fire-safety or PEEP experience is required. The course provides an awareness-level introduction and explains both practical staff contributions and circumstances where competent or specialist advice should be sought.
What will I learn on this PEEPs Awareness course?
You will learn why PEEPs may be needed, how individual needs can affect evacuation, how plans connect with building emergency arrangements and what practical information needs to be considered. The course also covers relevant responsibilities, Residential PEEP requirements in England, testing, review, communication and escalation.
Will this course help with day-to-day practice?
Yes. The course helps learners recognise changes or circumstances that may affect a person’s evacuation arrangements, contribute relevant practical information, understand their role in an agreed plan and report concerns where arrangements may no longer be reliable.
Does the course cover practical PEEP planning skills?
The course explains practical planning considerations such as alerts, routes, assistance, staffing, equipment, backup arrangements, testing and review. It does not replace premises-specific fire-safety assessment, moving and handling assessment or specialist practical training where these are required.
Does it cover relevant fire-safety responsibilities and good practice?
Yes. The course introduces responsibilities under the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 and explains relevant developments under the Fire Safety Act 2021, Fire Safety (England) Regulations 2022 and Building Safety Act 2022. It also outlines the Residential PEEP requirements that apply to specified residential buildings in England from 6 April 2026 and explains why these requirements should not be assumed to apply identically to every premises.
Are PEEPs required for everyone with a disability?
No. Individual evacuation needs should be considered according to the person’s actual abilities, circumstances and the arrangements for the premises. A visible disability does not automatically mean assistance is required, while someone without an obvious impairment may still need individual support.
Does the same PEEP work in every building?
Not necessarily. Evacuation arrangements depend on the individual as well as the building layout, fire strategy, available routes, staffing and equipment. A method that is appropriate in one premises may not be suitable in another.
How long does the course take?
The course is self-paced and usually takes around 1 hour to complete.
Will I receive a certificate?
Yes. A certificate is issued after successful completion.
Personal Emergency Evacuation Plans need to be realistic, person-centred and connected to the emergency arrangements of the premises in which they will be used. This course provides learners with a clear foundation for understanding individual evacuation needs, contributing appropriately to planning and recognising when arrangements require review or specialist input.
Enrol now to build your understanding of Personal Emergency Evacuation Plans (PEEPs).
