FAQs About The Fire Authority

Where a resident agrees, the Responsible Person must:

• Use reasonable endeavours to identify residents who may have difficulty self-evacuating, based on information known or shared with them
• Offer and, where the resident accepts the offer, ensure a person-centred assessment of evacuation needs is undertaken
• Prepare an Emergency Evacuation Statement setting out what the resident should do in the event of a fire
• Provide the resident with a copy of their evacuation statement
• Keep this information under review, no later than 12 months after it is first recorded and at least every 12 months thereafter, or sooner if circumstances change or at the resident’s reasonable request

The Regulations do not require Responsible Persons to carry out medical assessments or force participation.

Statutory guidance and supporting materials for Responsible Persons are available on GOV.UK, including government-published guidance on residential evacuation planning and consent-based engagement with residents. 

Yes. Under the Fire Safety (England) Regulations 2022, Responsible Persons for high-rise residential buildings (those that are 18 metres or more in height or seven storeys or more) must also: 

• Provide specified digital information on external wall systems 

• Provide specified up-to-date floor and building plans 

• Notify the Fire and Rescue Service of faults to firefighting or evacuation lifts and other essential firefighting equipment that cannot be rectified within 24 hours 

These duties are separate from, and in addition to, the Residential Evacuation Plans Regulations. 

All elements of the process are subject to the resident’s explicit consent. 

Information must be handled in accordance with UK GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018, and the Regulations do not authorise processing of personal data that would contravene data protection legislation. Residents may withdraw consent at any time. 

Yes. Responsible Persons for buildings in scope must prepare and maintain a Building Emergency Evacuation Plan. This plan must: 

• Set out the building’s evacuation strategy 

• Be reviewed at least every 12 months and sooner if it needs updating 

• Be provided to the Fire and Rescue Authority 

• Be placed in the Secure Information Box where one is required 

The Regulations require the information to be provided to the Fire and Rescue Authority. 

It is for the Fire and Rescue Authority to determine whether this information should be provided digitally or in hard copy, and Responsible Persons should confirm the Authority’s preference before sharing information. 

Where a building is already required to have a Secure Information Box under the Fire Safety (England) Regulations 2022, the information must be kept there in hard copy. 

Where a Secure Information Box is not already in place and the Fire and Rescue Authority requires hard copy information to be held on site, the Responsible Person must install and maintain a Secure Information Box for this purpose.

With the resident’s explicit consent, the Responsible Person must provide the Fire and Rescue Authority with the prescribed information, which includes: 

• The resident’s flat number 

• The resident’s floor number 

• Whether an emergency evacuation statement is in place 

• Basic information about the level of assistance that may be required in an evacuation

No other personal information is required.

The Regulations apply to residents for whom the domestic premises in the building is their only or principal residence and who may have difficulty evacuating independently due to physical mobility limitations, sensory impairments, cognitive conditions, or other disabilities.

Participation is voluntary and depends entirely on the resident’s consent.

The Responsible Person is the individual or organisation with control over the building or its common parts. This may include a building owner, managing agent, management company, or other person with legal control.

Responsible Persons already have duties under the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005. These Regulations introduce additional, specific duties.

The Regulations apply to residential buildings in England that contain two or more domestic premises and meet one of the following criteria:

• Buildings that are 18 metres or more in height, or seven or more storeys
• Buildings that are over 11 metres in height and operate a simultaneous evacuation strategy is in place

The Regulations were introduced following recommendations made after the Grenfell Tower Inquiry Phase 1 report. Their purpose is to ensure that residents who may not be able to self-evacuate are properly considered within residential fire risk management and evacuation planning arrangements, and that fire and rescue services have access to the prescribed information required by the Regulations to support operational response, subject to the resident’s consent.

The Fire Safety (Residential Evacuation Plans) (England) Regulations 2025 introduce new legal duties for Responsible Persons of in scope residential buildings in England.
The duties relate to planning for the evacuation of relevant residents whose ability to evacuate without assistance may be compromised, subject to the resident’s consent, in the event of a fire.

The Regulations come into force on 6 April 2026.

There are charges for some of our services, including reports. These are explained on the Services we charge for page, click here to go to that page.

Buckinghamshire & Milton Keynes Fire Authority is a publicly accountable body which manages Buckinghamshire Fire & Rescue Service on behalf of the communities it serves. It normally meets four times a year, with an annual meeting held in June. During these meetings, Members make decisions on policy, finance and resources. Click here to find out more about the Fire Authority meetings.

We publish information every year explaining how much council tax you will pay as a contribution to fire and rescues services within Buckinghamshire and Milton Keynes. This information also explains how the amount was reached, where it was agreed, and what it will be spent on. Click here to read this information.

We publish information about our financial arrangements including annual information on how much money we have, how much we will receive, how much we expect to spend, and how much we have spent. This information is available within the Finance and Procurement area of this site, click here to go there . We also provide regular reports and updates to the Fire Authority, this information can be found within the Meetings section of this site, click here to visit that area.

Buckinghamshire Fire & Rescue Service covers the area served by Buckinghamshire Council and Milton Keynes Council. These two councils appoint members to Buckinghamshire & Milton Keynes Fire Authority to oversee the service. More information can be found here.

Buckinghamshire Fire & Rescue Service covers the area served by Buckinghamshire Council and Milton Keynes Council. These two councils appoint members to Buckinghamshire & Milton Keynes Fire Authority to oversee the service. Their numbers are proportional to the populations they represent, with 11 members from Buckinghamshire Council and six from Milton Keynes Council. The current members can be found here.

Buckinghamshire & Milton Keynes Fire Authority is a publicly accountable body which manages Buckinghamshire Fire & Rescue Service on behalf of the communities it serves. Members make decisions on policy, finance and resources. More information can be found here.

Buckinghamshire & Milton Keynes Fire Authority meetings are public and details can be found in our Fire Authority area. Members of the press are also invited. On some occasions there will be items on the agenda which need to be discussed in private by Members and will require exclusion of public and press. These may relate to commercially sensitive matters.

Buckinghamshire & Milton Keynes Fire Authority meets several times a year. Details of the public meetings are available in this area of our website.