Support to evacuate your building safely

New fire safety legislation – help us to keep you safe

The safety of our customers and your homes is very important to us, as your landlord.

Salix Homes owns 20 high-rise buildings across Salford, and from April 2026, new national fire safety legislation is coming into force across the country, which will apply to all high rise buildings, like ours.

This legislation introduces Residential Personal Emergency Evacuation Plans (RPEEPs).

An RPEEP is a personal evacuation plan for people who may need extra support to leave the building safely in an emergency. This is important because lifts cannot be used during a fire, so everyone must be able to evacuate using the stairs or have an agreed alternative plan in place.

RPEEPs are the latest in a raft of building safety improvements introduced since the Grenfell Tower tragedy in 2017 when 72 people died in the most tragic of circumstances.

As part of our ongoing commitment to building and fire safety, we already carry out Person Centred Fire Risk Assessments (PCFRAs). These are tailored assessments that look at potential fire risks for our customers who may be more vulnerable, taking into account things like health, mobility and environmental factors. RPEEPs take this a step further by creating a personalised plan for those who may need extra support to evacuate safely.

Who does this apply to?

This is not just about mobility issues.

We want to understand anything that could affect someone’s ability to evacuate quickly and safely in an emergency, including:

• Hearing or sight loss
• Long-term health conditions or mental health needs
• Medication that affects alertness or movement
• Alcohol or substance dependency
• Later stages of pregnancy
• Anything else that could affect how you respond in an emergency

Our approach is supportive and practical, not judgemental. The aim is to understand your situation and agree sensible measures to help keep you safe in your home – measures that could ultimately save lives.

What support could be put in place?

Support will depend on individual circumstances and may include measures such as:

• Specialist alarms, such as vibrating pillows for customers who are hard of hearing.
• Personal evacuation advice, tailored to you – for example, agreeing a safe place in the building to wait for help if you cannot use the stairs
• Additional fire safety measures inside your home, such as installing extra fire doors.

Any plan would be created with you and with your agreement.

Working with the fire service

We work closely with Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service (GMFRS) to help keep our buildings and customers safe.

As part of creating an RPEEP, you will be asked to sign an Evacuation Statement. This confirms that you agree for relevant information about your evacuation needs to be shared with the fire service, so they understand how best to support you if there is ever an emergency.

Reassurance about safety

All our high-rise buildings across Salford already have a range of extensive fire safety measures in place. These are regularly checked, managed and maintained, and form an important part of keeping people safe. RPEEPs build on these existing arrangements and provide extra support where it may be needed.

What happens next?

We are contacting all customers who live in high rise buildings. Initially, we will call you on the phone to ask a few questions to check whether this applies to you and to discuss any support that may be helpful.

In many cases, we already hold this information about our customers. However, we know people’s circumstances change, so we need to make sure our records are up to date and talk with you about what support could be put in place if needed.

We’ll also check in with you every year to review your evacuation plan, make sure it still meets your needs, and update any information so you continue to have the right support in place.

This process will also be introduced at our independent living schemes for the over 55s, as part of the next phase of the rollout.

Contact us

You do not need to wait for us to call you.

If you think you may have difficulty evacuating the building in an emergency, or if your circumstances have changed, please contact us as soon as possible. This will help us understand your needs and ensure the right arrangements are in place to support you.

Call our Building Safety Team on 0800 218 2000 or email buildingsafety@salixhomes.co.uk.