From April 2026, new national regulations come into force to improve fire safety for disabled and vulnerable residents living in high rise and higher risk residential buildings.
The Fire Safety (Residential Evacuation Plans) (England) Regulations 2025 place new duties on building owners and managers to better assess and support the needs of residents who may struggle to evacuate during a fire.
Under these regulations, residents with disabilities or impairments will be entitled to:
- A person centred fire risk assessment that considers their individual risks and ability to evacuate.
- Identification of reasonable and proportionate measures to reduce those risks.
- A written statement explaining what they should do in the event of a fire.
- Their information shared with the local Fire and Rescue Service so crews know where vulnerable residents live and can support evacuation or rescue if needed.
We already support emergency response through secure information boxes in all our high rise buildings. These contain accurate floor and building plans, along with a flagging system for vulnerable residents.
If you or anyone in your household would have difficulty evacuating without using a lift — or if your circumstances have changed — please contact the High Rise Tenancy Management Team by Email: HousingHighRiseTeam@hullcc.gov.uk or Telephone: 01482 616 108