Fire Safety At Home

Common Causes of Fire

Electricity
Neglect and misuse of wiring and electrical appliances

Refuse/rubbish
Accumulating in work/storage areas

Smoking
Discarded cigarettes, matches, inadequate ashtrays.

Heaters
Portable heaters can be knocked over, poorly sited or inadequately guarded. All heaters could overheat if obstructed.

Hazardous goods
Includes materials such as paints, adhesives or other chemicals.

Arson
By mischievous children and adult fire raisers, facilitated by ineffectively secured buildings.

Specific hazards
Machinery in dusty environments, heated equipment (e.g. soldering irons), blow lamps, cutting and welding equipment, flammable liquids.

Ways to Prevent Fires

Fit a smoke alarm and test it regularly

fit smoke alarms on each level of your home – it’s the simplest, single step you can take to cut the risk of dying from fire in your home

test the batteries in your smoke alarm every week and change them every year - never remove them

Take care when cooking

more than half of accidental fires in the home start because of something to do with cooking

take extra care when cooking with hot oil and don’t leave children alone in the kitchen when the hob or oven is on

Plan an escape route and make a bedtime check

plan a route to escape your home if there is a fire and make sure everyone in the house knows the plan

if there’s a fire, don’t tackle it yourself – get out, stay out and call 999

check for fire hazards in your home before you go to bed - it takes longer to become aware of a fire when you are asleep

Don't overload sockets

try to keep to one plug per socket - too many electrical appliances plugged into one socket can overload it, which can lead to overheating

electrical appliances, plugs and cables that are old or poorly wired can also be a real danger

Cigarettes – put them out, right out

more people die in fires caused by smoking than in fires caused by anything else

always stub cigarettes out properly and dispose of them carefully

see ‘Smoking safety’ for tips to avoid causing a fire if you smoke

Smoking safety

Use candles carefully

candles, decorative lights and decorations are a growing cause of fires

make sure candles are secured in a stable holder and kept away from curtains, fabrics and paper

always put candles out when you are leaving the room or going to bed

More about using candles, decorative lights and decorations

Fire extinguishers

There are three main types of fire extinguisher: powder; water; and foam. No single type of extinguisher is totally effective on every kind of fire. Before buying one, it's vital to look carefully at what kinds of fires it can be used on to make sure you get one suitable for your own needs.

Tips on how to use fire extinguishers

make sure you read the instructions and are familiar with how to use it

they are best placed in the hall and taken where needed

only buy one you can carry easily

don’t put it near a heater or fire, but do fix it to the wall, so that it is out of the reach of children, but easily accessible by others

get it serviced once a year (or as often as the manufacturer recommends

when using the extinguisher on a fire, keep yourself on the escape route side of the blaze

Fire blankets

These are fire-resistant sheets of material that you can use to cover a fire to cut its supply of oxygen or wrap around a person whose clothes are on fire.

They are quick to use, easy to maintain and cheaper than fire extinguishers. However, to use them, you need to get close to the fire – meaning your hands will be particularly at risk of burning. You can also only use them on very small and contained fires (like fat-pan fires on the cooker) and it’s likely that you will only get one go at putting out the fire. If you don’t put it out, you won’t be able to retrieve the blanket .They're ideal to keep in the kitchen, but they aren't good for general use. If you get one, you should make sure it conforms to British Standard BS 6575 and bear these points in mind

it should be easy to get to in an emergency

never put it away in a cupboard

it shouldn't be mounted above a cooker or
heater

a fire blanket is most useful in the kitchen

Sprinklers

If you want to reduce the risk of death in a fire as much as possible, you should get sprinklers fitted in your home. They provide a high level of protection from the risk of dying in a fire and are particularly suitable for older people and for those who have difficulty moving around or have some other impairment. In parts of the USA where sprinklers have become compulsory, almost no one dies from fire at home.

If you’re considering getting a sprinkler system fitted, here are some further points to bear in mind:

sprinklers are fitted in as many rooms as you want them to be - their pipes are small and run off mains water
they are individually heat-activated, so the whole system doesn't go off at once
they rarely get set off accidentally as they need high temperatures to trigger them
they operate automatically, whether you're at home or not
if you have a sprinkler system, you should also have a smoke alarm, as this will alert you to slow-burning, smoke-generating fires