Safety & Security

Fire Prevention

Protect your home by taking a few simple steps

Working smoke alarms save lives

They give you those vital extra few moments to get your family out of harm’s way. Most smoke alarms are fitted with a test button so that you can easily check the smoke alarm is working. Test the smoke alarm once a week and change the batteries at least once a year except those with fixed 10 year batteries.

• Over half of home fires are caused by cooking accidents
• More than five fires a day are started by candles
• Every three days someone dies from a fire caused by a cigarette
• Faulty electrics (appliances, wiring and overloaded sockets) cause around 7,000 house fires across the country every year
  

A Guide to Home Fire Safety (pdf file 128Kb)

Fire Safety DVD (Windows Media Player file)

Free Home Fire Safety Visit
The Fire Brigade can offer advice on how to make your home safe and where appropriate fit a 10-year smoke alarm for free. If you are concerned that your home may be at risk of fire or know someone who you think needs help then please arrange a visit. You can call the Fire Brigade on 0800 0284 428 or contact Brenda Quashie at HFI on 020 7527 4016.

All new tenants are offered a Home Fire Safety Visit when signing for their tenancy. The Housing Support Officer will also offer a referral to this service to their clients. For more information on Home Fire Safety Visits visit http://www.london-fire.gov.uk/

Fire Angel smoke alarms
You may already have one or two Fire Angels fitted in your home. The Fire Angel smoke alarm fits into a pendant light fitting and is charged-up whenever the light is used. This saves you buying batteries, is convenient and involves less worry. If you have a Fire Angel smoke alarm and it starts to beep, this indicates it needs to be recharged by turning the light it is plugged into on for about 8 hours. For more information on Fire Angels please visit http://www.fireangel.co.uk/

Fire prevention
In 2006/7 there were 36,500 accidental fires in the home. Many were caused by carelessness and the majority could have been prevented so please:

• Put cigarettes out properly before emptying ash trays and don’t smoke in bed
• Keep matches/candles away from children ensure nothing is around candles that could catch fire
• Candleholders should be deep and placed on flat, heat resistant surfaces, such as ceramic plates
• Unplug/switch off all electrical equipment not being used, check for danger signs of faulty appliances or wiring such as hot plugs and sockets
• Do not overload electric sockets – try to keep to one plug per socket
• Close all doors before going to bed to help prevent the spread of smoke and fire
• Take extra care when frying chips or other foods, hot oil can catch fire easily
• Keep fire exits and escape routes clear. Never use communal staircase or landings for storage and report any dumped rubbish to your estate services team
• Never wedge open fire doors in communal areas
• It is illegal to smoke in the internal communal areas of your block
• You should not have barbeques on balconies

For further information on smokefree please follow the link: http://www.smokefreeengland.co.uk/

When planning your escape:

• Discuss how you would escape if there were a fire
• Take account of everyone in the household, especially children, older or disabled people
• Talk through and regularly remind people what to do and what not to do if there’s a fire
• Put up a reminder of what to do (e.g. on the fridge door or kitchen notice board)
• Keep all exits clear
• Ensure everyone in your home can easily find keys for doors or windows

If fire breaks out in your home:

• If safe, close all doors to prevent fire spreading
• Turn off the cooker or heat source if safe to do so, never lean over the pan to reach the controls
• Never use water or a fire extinguisher on a hot fat fire
• Get everyone out quickly
• Call the fire brigade by dialling 999 and give the exact address of the fire. Always use a neighbour’s phone, public call box or a mobile – never go back into your home to use your home phone
• Stay out until the Fire Brigade tells you it is safe to return

If fire breaks out in your block:

• Blocks of flats (including high rise) are designed to be fire resistant. Most fires don’t spread through more than one or two rooms
• It is not normally necessary to evacuate your home unless the fire is very close or you are being affected by smoke or heat. The Fire Brigade will evacuate only those properties at risk
• Taking time to think about fire safety can help keep you and your family safe
• Follow the advice and plan your escape from your block using stairs and not lifts if possible

Smoke and fumes can kill:

• If you’re trapped by fire, go into a room, close the door, open a window and try to attract the attention of others by shouting
• Use towels or sheets to block gaps under doors to stop smoke entering the room
• If the room gets smoky, get down low, the air is cleaner at floor level
• Never open the door and run through smoke and fire to safety