Summerlands Care Home, located in Southsea provides care and support for their 23 residents living with learning disabilities and mobility issues. They are well known for their supportive, attentive and comfortable environment.
A swift and easy evacuation
On Tuesday, 10 March between 11 pm and 12 am, a fire broke out in the home’s laundry room. Elysia Fung, Deputy Manager said “When the alarm sounded our staff went round and started evacuation, as a fire had started unexpectedly in our tumble dryer in the laundry room.”
The fire doors automatically closed when the alarm sounded, leaving the fire and smoke contained in the laundry room, giving precious time for the residents to be evacuated to safety. Elysia said “We have a reciprocal arrangement with a care home close by, so when we evacuated we took the residents to the other care home. The fire service arrived very quickly, with Dorgard proving invaluable as they were on the fire doors directly near to where the fire started. Our residents didn’t inhale any smoke when being evacuated, so no one was harmed.”
Dorgard ‘makes life much easier’
Elysia also spoke of the additional benefits Dorgard brings to their residents, “They’re a good fit for safety and access because of our client group. Our residents spend the majority of their day in the lounge and dining room, so keeping the doors open in these areas with Dorgards makes life much easier for them.”
The outcome
• Summerlands saved their residents lives as they had the correct preventative measures in place
• Dorgard continues to provide easy access
• Summerlands is a leading example of maintaining safety in case of an emergency
• No lasting damage to the home, due to Dorgard preventing the spread of fire.
Summerlands Care Home made sure they had the correct precautions in place, saving the lives of their residents and the home itself. Elysia continued “If we hadn’t had the Dorgards, the consequences would have been unthinkable. It would have been a whole different story. We would have had smoke throughout, making it difficult to evacuate safely.”
“The Dorgards absolutely helped the situation. It’s great that they function properly and do what they are supposed to, close the doors in an emergency and keep our residents safe. We just have that peace of mind. We definitely recommend them and are more than happy with the service we receive from Fireco. We are extremely pleased.”
More information please visit: www.firecoltd.com
