PEEP builder

What a PEEP is, and how this builder works

A Personal Emergency Evacuation Plan (PEEP) is a bespoke escape plan for a named individual who cannot evacuate a building safely without help — because of mobility, sensory or cognitive needs, or a temporary condition such as an injury or pregnancy. It sets out exactly how that person will be alerted to a fire, how they will get to a place of total safety, who will help them, and what equipment is involved. The need for PEEPs flows from the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 — the duty to plan for everyone's escape — and from Equality Act duties not to put disabled people at a disadvantage.

The escape strategies

• Independent — the person can self-evacuate but may need more time or a head start.
• Assisted (buddy) — named, trained colleagues help them down the stairs.
• Evacuation chair — a stair-descent chair operated by trained staff (usually two).
• Refuge — a protected area where the person waits in relative safety with two-way communication until assisted rescue arrives.
• Horizontal evacuation — moving to an adjoining fire compartment on the same level (common in healthcare).

Who owns it — and the golden rule

The Responsible Person for the building owns the duty, and in a multi-occupied building a PEEP must be shared with the building's responsible person, not kept by one tenant. For members of the public and one-off visitors, a building often relies on general (generic) evacuation arrangements rather than a named PEEP. The golden rule for every PEEP: it must be practised. A plan that has been written but never rehearsed — especially one involving an evacuation chair or a refuge — is not a workable plan.

This builder is a planning aid that drafts a PEEP. It does not replace a competent assessment of complex evacuation needs, and the Responsible Person remains accountable under the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 for a workable, practised plan.