door signs

[cb]

I have been asked if there are any such door signs available for residential care homes that in the event that residents are left in their rooms staff can slide across the name to reveal something that would indicate to the fire service that they were still in their rooms!  Does anybody know of such a sign and if so where they are available from.

[AnthonyB]

Most sign manufacturers will custom word their sliding panel "Busy/Engaged" meeting room signs.

[messy]

Whilst this maybe a good idea for staff woring within the home to use their time wisely in an emergency, I suggest you contact your local fire service before spending money on the signs, to enquire whether they have any value for fire crews attending.

There are many issues to consider including:

A simple sliding sign may be 'operated' by moving traffic in the corridor (especially clumsy firefighters moving in breathing aparatus).

How certain are you that residents will comply or remember to 'book in'? (to be effective any booking in system has to be at least 100% reliable)

In virtually all fire situations, firefighters will be tasked with searching all rooms and would, in my experience, not regard such door signs as an indication that the room is clear - that is if they could see them in perhaps limited visibility.

 I'd run this idea past the people who would have to use it. Contact the operational fire crews (as they would be expected to se the system) as well as fire safety officers to get the best advice

[Ken Taylor]

This sounds dangerous to me. I believe that the firefighters would rightly ignore the signs and go into all rooms - but there is a risk that staff charged with assisting residents to escape in the event of an emergency might well believe a wrongly displayed sign and ignore a resident in the room.

Why are residents being left in rooms by staff in a situation that requires search and rescue by the fire service?

They have one of these sliding signs with 'vacant' or 'engaged' as display options on the door of the WC in my local dentist's. At least half the people who use the facility fail to change the sign or change it when they enter but forget when they leave.

[OneOffDave]

Some hotels use a door hanger like the 'do not disturb' sign for people whio may require assistance evacuating. However I've never seen it clearly stated whether this is for hotel staff or firefighters' information.

I'd agree with messy about the ease with which these signs can be inadvertently moved.

Dave