We want you to be safe and feel safe in your home, so we have pulled together lots of useful advice on fire safety in your home.
Click on each of the headings below to find out how to stay safe in your home...
If you live in a bungalow, apartment or flat you should have at least 1 working smoke alarm fitted. This should be positioned in your hallway.
If you live in a house you should have at least 2 working smoke alarms fitted. These should be positioned in your hallway and on your landing.
If you do have more than one smoke alarm fitted in your home then they should each be interlinked so that if one smoke alarm is activated, all the smoke alarms will sound.
You should test your smoke alarms every month to make sure they are working by pressing the test button.
If you are worried or have concerns about the smoke alarms in your home then please get in touch with us and we’ll send someone out to check them and replace them if needed.
Fire Safety
If you live in a multi-occupied residential building which has two or more separate properties (with common/communal parts), you will have received a letter (in March 2024) detailing the fire safety procedures relevant to your building.
There are two types of fire evacuation strategy: Stay Put and Simultaneous Evacuation. These differ due to the type of building, but only one of these will be applicable to your building. The evacuation strategy for your building has been detailed in the letter and can also be found on the fire action notices within the building. We will provide you with fire safety instructions on an annual basis, when a new tenancy commences, or when there are any applicable changes to the regulations. This will ensure you always have up to date information.
If your building has a Simultaneous Evacuation Strategy:
In the event of a fire, your building's communal fire alarm system will alert all residents so you can evacuate the building calmly and safely. The advice is to alert all the people in your flat, leave the property and close all doors. You should follow the pre-determined escape plan and if there is a lot of smoke within the flat, you should crawl along the floor where the air should be clearer and the temperature cooler. Do not use the lift to exit the building. You should always use the stairs and call 999 as soon as you are in a safe place.
If your building has a Stay-Put Strategy:
If the fire is inside your home, but the rest of the building is safe - you should alert all the people in the flat, leave the property and close all doors. You should follow the pre-determined escape plan and if there is a lot of smoke within the flat, you should crawl along the floor where the air should be clearer and the temperature cooler. Do not use the lift to exit the building. You should always use the stairs and call 999 as soon as you are in a safe place.
If there is a fire elsewhere in the building, but not inside your own home - then you are usually safer to stay in your flat, unless the heat or smoke from the fire is affecting you, as the structure of the building has been designed to provide appropriate protection. If you ‘stay-put’ you should still immediately call 999 for advice and to ensure that the fire and rescue service along with attending emergency crews have been notified. If the heat or smoke from the fire is affecting you or your flat, you should follow the advice above.
Fire Doors
Fire doors are crucial in preventing smoke and toxic gases spreading throughout a building. They allow people to escape (where necessary) and fire fighters to access the area of the fire.
Plus Dane Housing will take the necessary action to ensure our buildings, including flat entrance doors, are compliant and safe for our residents and any visitors.
To ensure yours and other people’s safety in the building, it is vital you:
If your building measures over 11m in height
As part of the new regulations, we are required to undertake an annual check of flat entrance doors. This will be a short visit, no longer than 30 minutes and will require us to visually inspect and assess that the door still meets the required levels of safety. We will always make an appointment that is convenient and undertake the inspection with fully skilled and approved contractors. As this is regulation set out by the government, we will continue to contact you until we have completed the inspection and appreciate your full co-operation with completing the required checks.
We are also required to undertake quarterly checks of all fire doors, including self-closing devices in the common (communal) parts of the building.
For further information on the evacuation strategy for your building please refer to the fire action notice displayed within your building. If you haven't received your 2024 letter or you have misplaced it, or have further questions, please visit the Contact Us section of our website to contact our Customer team who will be happy to assist you further with any queries you may have.
Fitting smoke alarms is the first crucial step to protecting yourself from fire. But what would you do if a smoke alarm went off during the night?
Give some thought to how you might escape your home if a fire broke out, and make sure that everyone in your home knows what to do if the smoke alarm sounds. The best route is the normal way in and out of your home. Take a few minutes to practise your escape plan.
Keep door and window keys where everyone can find them and make sure exits are kept clear. Think of a second route in case the first one is blocked. Review your plan if the layout of your home changes.
If you live in a building with a communal area, check for the fire action notice as this will tell you what to do if there is a fire.
Fire blankets are best kept in the kitchen and are used to put out a small fire, or to wrap around a person whose clothes are on fire.
Fire extinguishers shoot out a jet to help control a small fire. They are quick and simple to use, but always read the instructions first.
Heat alarms can detect fires in kitchens where smoke alarms should not be placed.
You should make sure that all corridors and stairways are clear of things that could catch fire – like boxes or rubbish, and that the doors leading to these areas are kept unlocked.
It is easy to get confused in smoke so you should plan and practise an escape route. You should avoid using lifts and balconies in a fire, so plan a route that avoids these. Pay particular attention to how many doors you need to go through to reach the stairs.
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 the building has a warning system in place.
Did you know that in the UK someone dies from a fire caused by a cigarette every week! To keep yourself and others in your home safe, you should:
Around two fires a day in the UK are started by heaters.
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.
Call 999 then open the window and shout “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 and use a towel or blanket to make jagged edges safer.
Did you know that around half of home fires are caused by cooking accidents? Here's some tips for cooking safely at home:
