GovWire

This is a Home Office summary report of live evacuation testing research conducted by the University of Central Lancashire (UCLan) to test the efficiency of evacuation strategies from high-rise residential buildings (HRRBs). The Home Office derived this summary in its entirety from the original live evacuation testing research conducted by UCLan and reflects UCLans analysis and interpretation of the original dataset.

The study comprised live operational tests of 5 evacuation strategies between 3 and 6 May 2022, using fire and rescue service (FRS) staff and other volunteers from stakeholder groups to act as residents. The research tested 5 evacuation strategies of a HRRB during a fire incident when it becomes untenable to expect residents to remain in the building, and the FRS Officer in Charge (OIC) initiates a full evacuation.