Resident engagement on fire safety in high-rise residential buildings isn’t just about systems and inspections — it relies on residents taking the right actions and feeling confident to play their part.
For Compliance, Housing and Property Directors and Housing Safety leads, engaging residents effectively is now a core requirement under the Building Safety Act. Here are eight practical ways to improve fire-safety engagement:
- Be clear about the specific fire-safety behaviours you need. Do residents need to report damaged fire doors? Keep escape routes clear? Allow access for fire safety inspections? Spell it out clearly — vague messages don’t drive action.
- Use clear, visual examples. Show images of what a fire risk looks like (“A damaged fire door like this should be reported immediately”). Visuals cut through in a way that text alone doesn’t.
- Communicate in different formats. Not everyone reads an email. Use letters, posters, WhatsApp messages, translated versions and face-to-face conversations to reach all residents. People are more likely to take notice of their local WhatsApp group than a letter that’s too long.
- Make it easy to act. If residents need to report a risk, make it quick and simple — QR codes, a single phone number, and easy online forms can remove important barriers. Where are residents when they need to act in the event of a fire?
- Show that action is taken. Residents are more likely to report issues when they know something will be done. Close the feedback loop: “You reported a damaged fire door — this has now been repaired.” It’s an obvious point, but it makes such a difference.
- Involve residents early. Rather than consulting at the end, bring residents into the process when you’re developing fire-safety plans. Co-design builds stronger understanding and trust. Residents can’t be involved in all decisions but there are lots of ways to involve them so their voices at heard and they make a difference to what matters most.
- Use trusted resident voices. Messages delivered by resident representatives or block champions are often received more positively than those from “the landlord”. Peer influence matters. People listen to their neighbours much more than say a local councillors or an organisational official. Not always but this is often the case.
- Frame fire safety as a shared responsibility. Avoid compliance-heavy language. Position fire safety as something we all contribute to: “Together we keep the building safe”.