Care homes could close due to fire rules - owner

A care home owner has accused fire officers of being "textbook driven" and has claimed regulations could force him to close some locations.

Raj Sehgal is managing director of Armscare which runs six care homes in Norfolk.

He said the local fire service appeared to be clamping down on regulations and had requested proof that his homes could be evacuated within the recommended 150 seconds.

Norfolk Fire and Rescue Service insisted there had been no recent changes to fire regulations at care homes.

Mr Sehgal said conducting routine evacuations would put older and infirm residents at undue risk and would cause stress.

"All of a sudden, in the last two years [there] seems to be a new breed of fire officer that is very textbook driven," he said.

"I don't know which planet they live off, because they don't live in the real world.

He continued: "Fire safety is exceptionally important and everybody wants to work with the fire officers to ensure that we provide the maximum amount of safety for our residents, but we have to be realistic in terms of what we can do and how we can demonstrate it."

The fire service in Norfolk is provided by the county council.

"I would hazard a guess that you couldn't evacuate County Hall in 15 minutes, let alone 150 seconds," Mr Sehgal added.

Private care operator Armscare said the financial implications of meeting fire regulations were affecting other care providers, including Norse Care.

Norse Care is a company owned by Norfolk County Council, and last month it announced it would close Linden Court in Watton in April.

Last year, the firm also closed Springdale in Brundall near Norwich and Burman House in Terrington St John near King's Lynn.

Jo Huxtable, the company senior director, said changes in fire safety regulations, rising costs in social care and a lack of investment meant Linden Court was "no longer suitable" for residents.

The government advised as long ago as 2006 that "it should be possible under normal operating conditions to evacuate any given protected area in two and a half minutes".

Emyr Gough, head of prevention and protection for Norfolk Fire and Rescue Service, said it was legally required to ask staff that they be able to evacuate people to safety according to government guidance.

"Public safety and resident safety is our officers' number one priority," he said.

"We regularly hold engagement sessions with care home and business owners to improve fire safety standards and put measures in place to help prevent these emergencies occurring.

"We are always open to conversations on how we can improve fire safety standards in a way that is suitable for care homes and their residents."

Follow Norfolk news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.