Fire safety in the Home

A fire can start very easily and can spread with frightening speed. Every year there are more than 68,000 fires in people’s homes, resulting in 400 deaths and 13,800 injuries.

This is your essential DIY guide to fire safety. If you follow the sensible advice and suggestions in it, you will significantly reduce the chance of there being a fire in your home. And if there ever is a fire, you’ll know how to get everyone out safely.

A lot of advice is common sense and will only take a few minutes of your time to put into action. If you have any questions which aren’t answered by this guide, contact your local fire and rescue service for advice or visit www.firekills.gov.uk 

 

Contents


Safety in the kitchen
Cooking
Looking after the electrics
Deep-frying food
What to do if a pan catches fire
Treating minor burns 

Using electrics and appliances
Plugs and cables
Electric blankets
Portable heaters
Lights
Furniture
Gas appliances

Cigarettes, cigars and pipes

Using candles

Choosing fire safety equipment for your home
Smoke alarms
Fire blankets
Fire extinguishers

If you have extra needs
Fitting special smoke alarms
Where to go for help

If you rent your home
What are your landlord’s obligations?
Electrical, gas and furniture safety
Questions to ask your landlord
Student accommodation

Celebrating
Parties
Religious and cultural festivals
Decorative lights
Candles
Decorations
Fireworks

Do a bedtime safety check

12 tips to protect your home 


Detecting a fire
Your first line of defence
Choosing a smoke alarm
The two types
The different types of model available
How many smoke alarms do you need?
Where to fit smoke alarms
Installing your smoke alarm
Maintaining your smoke alarm
Where not to put a smoke alarm 


Planning your escape route
Plan your escape together
Choose an escape route
Think about creating a safe room
Make sure everyone knows where keys are kept
Fire equipment
What to do if there is a fire
Raise the alarm
Escaping from a window
If your escape route is blocked
What to do if your clothes catch fire

Escaping form a high rise building
Make your escape plan
What to do if there’s a fire
If your escape route is blocked

If there’s a fire – get out, stay out and call 999
How to make a 999 call



Teaching children to be safe with fire
Make your home safe for children
Teach your children what to do if there’s a fire
Fire safety rules for children
Fire fascinates children 



Useful contacts



Safety in the kitchen

Most in the home start in the kitchen as a result of people being careless with appliances or being distracted for a moment while cooking. Nearly 20 people a day are killed or injured in kitchen fires. Back to contents.

Cooking

• When cooking, take care if you’re wearing loose clothing as it can easily catch fire. keep electrical leads, tea towels and clothes away from the cooker and hob.
• Don’t leave pans on the hob while you are not around. Take them off the heat if you leave the kitchen.

• Angle saucepan handles so they don’t stick out from the hob, or over a naked flame.

• Never leave children alone in the kitchen. Keep matches, lighters and saucepan handles where children can’t reach them, and fit a safety catch on the oven door.

• Keep the oven, hob, toaster and grill clean – a build up of fat, crumbs or grease can easily catch fire.

• Don’t use matches or lighters to light gas cookers – spark devices, which you can buy from hardware stores, are safer.

• Don’t put anything that is metal or metallic in the microwave.

• When you have finished cooking, make sure you switch off the oven and hob. Back to contents.


Looking after electrics

• Keep electrical leads and appliances away from water. 

• Turn off electrical appliances when they are not used and service them regularly.

• Check the toaster is clean, and empty the crumbs regularly. Make sure it’s not near curtains, blinds and kitchen rolls.

• Don’t overload electrical sockets. Only have one plug in each socket. If you need more plugs than there are sockets, use a “bar type” fuse adaptor and keep the total amps of all the plugs in the adaptor to 13 amps or less. Also, remember high amp appliances such as washing machines always need a socket to themselves. Back to contents.

Deep frying food

• If you regularly deep fry food, consider buying an electric deep fat fryer. They have thermostats fitted so they can’t overheat and are safer to use.

• Dry food before putting it into hot oil, to prevent the oil from splashing and burning you.

• If you don’t have an electric deep fat fryer and toy are using an ordinary pan, never fill it more than one third full. 

• If the oil starts to smoke, it’s too hot. Turn the heat off and leave to cool. Back to contents.



What to do if a pan catches fire 

• Don’t take any risks – get everyone out of your home and call the fire and rescue service.

• Don’t move the pan and never throw water over it.

• Turn off the heat under the pan (if safe to do so) and allow it to cool completely. Back to contents.

Treating minor burns

If a burn is bigger than a postage stamp, you should get medical advice from your doctor or call an ambulance. If a burn is smaller than a postage stamp, run cold water over it until the pain reduces and cover the burn with clean, non-fluffy dressing. Back to contents.

Using electrics and applia