Regular fire safety training and drills as well as cutting edge technology has helped a Nottinghamshire care home avoid tragedy after a fire broke out.

Staff came together as a team and along with compliant residents were able to evacuate everyone to a place of safety without any injuries after the fire took hold in a room at Hatzfeld Care Home in Blidworth.

Speaking exclusively to Caring Times, the home’s directors and registered manager, Jessica Poznanski, said: “We plan for events such as these in the hope we never have to put our training into practice but thank goodness we did! We could not be prouder of our staff who were amazing on the day and as a result no one was injured or harmed.  We cannot stress enough the importance of regular fire training and mock fire drills to ensure staff and residents respond confidently in the event of a fire.”

The care home acknowledged the vital role of its Care App designed by Varley Software, which provided all the information needed on who was on rota and offered instant accident to all residents Personal Emergency Evacuation Plans.

“This along with Microsoft Teams helped to quickly establish where everyone was and provide important information to the emergency services,” the home said.

Hatzfeld Care Home also thanked Nottinghamshire Fire and Rescue Service for their support.

“Their swift response, professionalism and reassurance given to staff and residents was really appreciated,” the home said.

“The whole experience has shown us, just how valuable the emergency services are as well as our relationships with the local community, including a local school who provided temporary accommodation for a few hours.”