The UK government’s recent announcement of a new consultation on Approved Document B: Fire safety marks a significant moment for the fire safety community and wider built environment. Ian Bailey, IFE Technical Advisor, showcases the opportunity this presents to reflect on how fire safety guidance continues to evolve in response to new evidence, lessons learned, and changes in construction methods, materials and public expectation.
This consultation invites industry expertise from across relevant sectors to help ensure that life safety remains at the heart of building design and regulation. It is vital that practitioners across fire engineering, construction and enforcement engage thoughtfully with the proposals to support practical, robust and proportionate outcomes.
Some interesting changes have been proposed, including:
- Means of escape for disabled people: New provision for evacuation lifts in tall residential buildings. (Section 7)
- Sheltered housing: Replacing ‘sheltered’ housing terminology and introducing new provisions for these housing types. (Section 8)
This latest consultation includes one of the most important questions: why? Why are these changes being proposed? Why is searching for professional input to refine the guidance so important?
Why is statutory guidance changing again?
“Ahead of the full government response to the Phase 2 report, the government announced in December 2024 that BSR has been instructed to keep the guidance within ADB under continuous review.”1 Instead of relying on large and intermittent changes, this gives the sector better ongoing support and safety guidance.
With the number of new materials, design choices and changing environments, constant review is safer, more realistic and inclusive for our built environment.
Section 7: Evacuation lifts
A change in these proposals is a recommendation for a second staircase to be provided within residential buildings above 18m, supporting the evolution of safety within new buildings and the inclusion of evacuation lifts in residential blocks of flats, as well as provisions to support their safe use, and principles of evacuation lift design.1
In practice, this aligns with proposals that tall buildings should have two staircases, with lifts integrated into evacuation planning rather than treated as optional extras. Notably, it does not align with BS 9991.
Historically, fire safety strategies in residential buildings have centred on a “stay put” approach, with evacuation typically relying on the use of stairs where necessary. Stay put is a perfectly valid evacuation strategy that has within it some notable caveats. This strategy advises residents to remain in their flats unless they are directly affected by fire or smoke, choose to evacuate, or are instructed to leave by the fire and rescue service. The most obvious drawback is that if someone is sick, elderly or disabled, this places them into a staircase they may not be able to use. As such, as technology has advanced, evacuation lifts are now a viable option, albeit with a range of challenges to overcome, particularly with the automated option.
The consultation opens important areas that need to be discussed to help everyone evacuate safely:
- Do you agree that Approved Document B should include provisions for evacuation lifts, yes or no?
- Do you agree that the threshold for provisions of evacuation lifts should be at 18m, yes or no?
- Do you have any additional views on the proposed provisions?
This could also include how they should be maintained and their interaction with smoke control systems and lobbies. By taking part in consultations, we can shape this area for the better.
Section 8: From “Sheltered” to “Specialised” Housing
Changing the language of this section from “sheltered” to “specialised housing” is to better reflect the different housing types where residents may need further fire safety measures to keep them safe. The proposal also goes onto differentiate between specialised housing with care provision and those without. Alongside the change in terminology, the draft guidance aims to increase the provision of alarm systems with a category LD1 and grade D1 system inside the accommodation in line with BS 5836-6:2019.
The consultation acknowledges that some residents may need earlier warnings, staff assistance and longer to respond appropriately to alarms. This is becoming an increasingly important part of our fire safety as a community as our population ages and housing types, and refurbishments become more complex.
Many buildings now do not have one purpose throughout their life span; more offices are being converted into flats, high-rise buildings serving multiple purposes on different floors and older buildings must be transformed to meet our requirements.
Why is it important we take part?
Evacuation lifts and the redefinition of specialised housing are two key areas of the proposed updates to Approved Document B that can promote fire safety strategies that can help save lives, which ultimately is the fire sector's main goal.
What we feed back in consultations such as these will go on to shape the future of fire engineering and safety. The IFE are highly supportive of this “continual review” process of ADB, so industry can better address emerging risks and respond to technology changes. The more people we have engaging in the consultation with the government, the better experience they will be able to draw on to make safer decisions.
The consultation closes on 1 July 2026 and can be accessed here through the government’s website.
Links/research
- 1. Review of Approved Document B: Fire safety
(2026). https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/review-of-approved-document-b-fire-safety-guidance/review-of-approved-document-b-fire-safety#she....