Team members at The Cedars, part of The Orders of St John Care Trust (OSJCT), recently welcomed Fire Defence UK for an important training session designed to refresh their fire safety knowledge, strengthen emergency response skills and build confidence in supporting residents during an evacuation.

The practical session covered essential fire awareness procedures, helping staff understand how to respond calmly, safely and effectively should an emergency arise.

One particularly valuable part of the training involved team members experiencing what it feels like to be supported around the home using a ResQmat, a specialist evacuation aid designed to help move people with limited mobility to safety.

By experiencing the equipment from a resident's perspective, staff gained a greater appreciation of the physical and emotional experience of being assisted during an emergency. This practical exercise encouraged empathy, understanding and an even stronger commitment to delivering reassuring, person-centred care.

Putting Residents' Safety and Wellbeing First

Fire safety training is particularly important in residential care settings, where some residents may have reduced mobility, additional support needs or conditions that make responding to an emergency more challenging.

Regular training helps ensure that staff remain familiar with emergency procedures, understand how to use specialist equipment and can work together effectively when every second counts.

Equally important is recognising that an emergency can be a frightening or confusing experience for residents. By understanding how an evacuation might feel, care teams can provide additional reassurance, communicate clearly and maintain residents' dignity and comfort throughout.

Debbie Scammell, Home Manager at The Cedars, said:

The safety and wellbeing of our residents will always be our highest priority, and making sure our team feels confident and prepared in an emergency is an essential part of the care we provide.

What made this training particularly valuable was the opportunity for our colleagues to experience an evacuation from a resident's perspective. It is one thing to understand the procedures and equipment, but quite another to appreciate how vulnerable someone might feel when they are relying on others to help them reach safety.

Experiences like this remind us that good care is not simply about following procedures. It is about showing compassion, communicating clearly and ensuring that every resident feels reassured, respected and supported, even in the most challenging circumstances.

I'm incredibly proud of the team's commitment to learning and developing their skills. Training like this helps us maintain the high standards of safety and person-centred care that our residents and their families rightly expect.

The session also demonstrated The Cedars' continued commitment to staff development, ensuring that colleagues have the practical skills, knowledge and confidence to provide a safe and supportive environment for everyone living at the home.

The Cedars team would like to extend a sincere thank you to Fire Defence UK for delivering such an informative, engaging and thought-provoking session.

At The Cedars, keeping residents safe is about more than having the right procedures in place. It is about having a confident, compassionate and well-prepared team who understand the importance of protecting both the safety and dignity of every resident, every day.