Fire Safety in the Home

In The Kitchen - How to Cook Safely

• Avoid leaving children in the kitchen alone when cooking on the hob.
• Keep saucepan handles out of their reach to keep them safe.
• Take extra care if you need to leave the kitchen whilst cooking, take pans off the heat or turn them down to avoid risk.
• Make sure saucepan handles don’t stick out – so they don’t get knocked off the stove.
• Take care if you’re wearing loose clothing – they can easily catch fire.
• Keep tea towels and cloths away from the cooker and hob
• Spark devices are safer than matches or lighters to light gas cookers, because they don’t have a naked flame.
• Double check the cooker is off when you’ve finished cooking

Take Care with Electrics

• Keep electrics (leads and appliances) away from water.
• Check toasters are clean and placed away from curtains and kitchen rolls.
• Keep the oven, hob and grill clean and in good working order. A build up of fat and grease can ignite a fire.

DON’T PUT ANYTHING METAL IN THE MICROWAVE

Deep Fat Frying

• Take care when cooking with hot oil – it sets alight easily.
• Make sure food is dry before putting it in hot oil so it doesn’t splash.
• If the oil starts to smoke – it’s too hot. Turn off the heat and leave it to cool.
• Use a thermostat controlled electric deep fat fryer. They can’t overheat.

What To Do If a Pan Catches Fire

• Don’t take any risks. Turn off the heat if it’s safe to do so. Never throw water over it.
• Don’t tackle the fire yourself.

How To Avoid Electrical Fires

• Always check that you use the right fuse to prevent overheating.
• Make sure an electrical appliance has a British or European safety mark when you buy it.
• Certain appliances, such as washing machines, should have a single plug to themselves, as they are high powered.
• Try and keep to one plug per socket.
• Keep your eyes peeled for signs of dangerous or loose wiring such as scorch marks, hot plugs and sockets, fuses that blow or circuit-breakers that trip for no obvious reasons, or flickering lights.
• Check and replace any old cables and leads, especially if they are hidden from view – behind furniture or under carpets and mats.
• Unplugging appliances helps reduce the risk of fire.
• Unplug appliances when you’re not using them or when you go to bed.

Furniture

• Always ensure that your furniture has the fire-resistant permanent label.

Using An Electric Blanket

• Store electric blankets flat, rolled up or loosely folded to prevent damaging the internal wiring.
• Unplug blankets before you get into bed, unless it has a thermostat control for safe all-night use.
• Try not to buy second hand blankets and check regularly for wear and tear.

Portable heaters

• Try to secure heaters up against a wall to stop them falling over.
• Keep them clear from curtains and furniture and never use them for drying clothes.

Cigarettes

Stub cigarettes out properly and dispose of them carefully. Put them out. Right out!

• Never smoke in bed.
• Use a proper ashtray – never a wastepaper basket.
• Make sure your ashtray can’t tip over and is made of a material that won’t burn.
• Don’t leave a lit cigarette, cigar or pipe lying around. They can easily fall over and start a fire.
• Take extra care if you smoke when you’re tired, taking prescription drugs, or if you’ve been drinking. You might fall asleep and set your bed or sofa on fire.
• Keep matches and lighters out of children’s reach.
• Consider buying child resistant lighters and match boxes.

Candles

Make sure candles are secured in a proper holder and away from materials that may catch fire – like curtains.

• Put candles out when you leave the room, and make sure they’re put out completely at night.
• Use a snuffer or a spoon to put out candles. It’s safer than blowing them out when sparks can fly.
• Children shouldn’t be left alone with lit candles.
• Keep pets away from lit candles.

Be prepared by making a plan of escape

• Plan an escape route and make sure everyone knows how to escape.
• Make sure exits are kept clear.
• The best route is the normal way in and out of your home.
• Think of a second route in case the first one is blocked.
• Take a few minutes to practise your escape plan.
• Review your plan if the layout of your home changes.
• Keep door and wind ow keys where everyone can find them

What to do if there is a fire?

• Don’t tackle fires yourself. Leave it to the professionals.
• Keep calm and act quickly, get everyone out as soon as possible.
• Don’t waste time investigating what’s happened or rescuing valuables.
• If there’s smoke, keep low where the air is clearer.
• Before you open a door check if it’s warm. If it is, don’t open it – fire is on the other side.
• Call 999 as soon as you’re clear of the building. 999 calls are free.

What to do if your escape is blocked?

• If you can’t get out, get everyone into one room, ideally with a window and a phone.
• Put bedding around the bottom of the door to block out the smoke, then open the window and call “HELP FIRE”.
• If you’re on the ground or first floor, you may be able to escape through a window.
• Use bedding to cushion your fall and lower yourself down carefully. Don’t jump.
• If you can’t open the window break the glass in the bottom corner. Make jagged edges safe with a towel or blanket.

How to escape from a high-level building

• As with all buildings, you should plan and practise an escape route.
• Avoid using lifts and balconies if there is a fire.
• It is easy to get confused in smoke, so count how many doors you need to go through to reach the stairs.
• Check there is nothing in the corridors or stairways that could catch fire – like boxes or rubbish.
• Make sure doors to stairways are not locked.
• Make sure everyone in the building knows where the fire alarms are.
• You should still get a smoke alarm for your own home, even if there is a warning system in the block.

What to do if your clothes catch fire?

• Don’t run around, you’ll make the flames worse.
• Lie down and roll around. It makes it harder for the fire to spread.
• Smother the flames with a heavy material, like a coat or blanket.
• Remember, Stop, Drop and Roll!