Many fires at home start accidentally and can have a devastating impact on the occupants and their possessions. Knowing how to reduce the risk of fire in your home is an important part of living safe and well.
The best way to keep safe from fire is to understand common fire hazards and reduce the risk from them in your home. Using the NFCC home fire safety checker is a great first step to fire safety in the home.
Free online home fire safety check
This easy-to-follow home fire safety check has been developed through a partnership between the National Fire Chiefs Council (NFCC), Fire Kills and Safelincs. It will take you through your home one room at a time and the simple questions will help you spot fire potential Hazards as you go around your home.
The tool will offer tips and advice on the steps you can take to reduce the risk of a fire. At the end, you will receive a personalised fire safety action plan to help keep you and your household safe.
The information will be shared with Surrey Fire and Rescue Service if you need additional care and attention; a member of the Surrey Fire and Rescue Service Team will be in touch to arrange a free Safe and Well visit to your home to ensure that you are safe.
Alternatively you can book your free safe and well visit by:
- Calling us free on 0800 085 0767
- Text/SMS 07971 691898
About Safe and Well visits
We believe that successful firefighting starts with prevention. So we have introduced a service where we can visit you, a loved one, or someone you care for at home to provide personalised advice about fire safety.
It's totally free, available 24/7, and we will even fit free smoke alarms during the visit if you need them.
We'll visit your home at the arranged time, day or night, and share our expertise. The visit is friendly and informal, and there's no need to tidy up or provide refreshments we're here to keep you safe, not for the tea! After a chat about fire prevention, we'll ask you to show us around your home so we can provide personalised advice on:
- Cooking and smoking
- Heaters and heating
- Candles and fireplaces
- Detection systems (smoke and heat alarms)
- Bedtime checks
- What to do if there is a fire
- Extra help and support
Depending on your personal circumstances, we might also suggest extra help and support from other organisations. This could be to discuss things like fire retardant bedding or linking a smoke alarm to your Telecare system.
Do you know someone at risk?
We're committed to making sure everyone in our community has the right protection and prevention advice to help them maintain their safety, independence and quality of life. However, the following factors can increase a person's risk and vulnerability to fire, and reduce their ability to escape if a fire starts.
If you know or work directly with anyone who would answer yes to the following statements, please give them our details to arrange a free Home Fire Safety Visit. If they would prefer, you can also organise a visit on their behalf.
- Smokes in their home
- Is over the age of 60
- Lives alone
- Has: a) limited mobility, b) a hearing impairment or c) is blind or partially sighted
- Would have difficulty responding to, or escaping from, a fire
- Has had a fire before, or shows signs of burns or scorching in the home
- Has learning disabilities
- Is supported by family, carers and friends
- Has a mental health condition such as dementia or depression
- Has drug or alcohol dependencies
- Doesn't have an alarm in all areas where a fire might start
- Collects or hoards in their home
- Are you, or are they, the parent or carer of a child or young person who set fires
Please let us know about your Safe and Well visit
As you have received a Safe and Well visit from us recently, we would appreciate if you could complete this short questionnaire to tell us how we did.
