Tyne and Wear Fire and Rescue Service (TWFRS) is raising awareness of a major change in fire safety regulations coming into force on 6 April 2026.

Residential Personal Emergency Evacuation Plans (RPEEPs) are designed to improve measures for people who may need support to leave their building in the event of a fire.

The arrangements, introduced under The Fire Safety (Residential Evacuation Plans) (England) Regulations 2025, apply to certain multi-occupied residential buildings and place new legal duties on ‘Responsible Persons’ – usually building owners or managers.

The legislation follows recommendations from the Grenfell Tower Inquiry. It requires Responsible Persons to:

• Identify residents who may have difficulty evacuating without assistance due to a physical or cognitive impairment
• Offer a person-centred fire risk assessment
• Where the resident wishes, agree an emergency evacuation statement.

Responsible Persons must also develop and maintain a building-wide emergency evacuation plan.

With consent from the resident, building owners will share only essential information with the fire and rescue service, including their flat number and a basic indication of assistance they may need. No medical or personal information will be shared.

Residents’ participation is voluntary, and they can withdraw consent at any time.

The change applies to residential buildings of 18m or higher, those with seven or more storeys, and any building over 11m which operates a simultaneous evacuation strategy.

Fire and rescue services are not responsible for carrying out assessments, creating evacuation statements, or deciding on mitigation measures – these remain the responsibility of building owners and managers.

TWFRS has systems and processes in place to receive and record this information securely, and to use it to support effective emergency response.

Group Manager Kenneth Reed, Head of Fire Safety, said: “These changes are an important step in helping ensure people feel safe in their own homes, particularly those who might need extra support during an emergency.

“They also give clearer expectations for building owners and managers, which we fully welcome.

“It is for those Responsible Persons to put these arrangements in place. Residents who believe they may benefit from these new arrangements should contact their building owner or managing agent.”

More information is available on our website at www.twfire.gov.uk/rpeeps