There are lots of easy steps that you can take at home to help prevent, detect and escape a fire.
- How to prevent a fire at home
- How to detect a fire at home
- How to escape a fire at home
- How to get free fire safety advice for your home and free smoke alarms
- What to do if a child or young person has set a fire
How to prevent a fire at home
Taking care with common household items can greatly reduce the risk of a fire starting at home.
- Never leave burning candles or fires unattended
- Always ensure the hob is clear of unnecessary items and position pot handles towards the back or side. Turn the hob off before leaving the room
- Remove vanity mirrors from windowsills or areas of direct sunlight
- Do not overload plug sockets and only use one multi-plug adaptor per socket. If cables/wires are damaged or frayed, replace them.
- Never leave hot electrical items such as irons or hair straighteners unattended and allow them time to cool fully
Find out more information about making your home safe.
How to detect a fire at home
Smoke alarms save lives.
Having a working smoke alarm on each floor of your home is crucial to the early detection of a fire.
Test your smoke alarm each week to ensure the batteries are working.
We provide specific advice on how and where to install smoke alarms and carbon monoxide detectors
If you detect a fire, your safety should be your priority.
- Shout 'Fire, fire!' to alert others
- Get out
- Stay out
- Call 999.
How to escape a fire at home
If a fire does break out at home, we have taught your children to follow these three steps:
Get out, stay out, call 999.
Making a home fire action plan means knowing your safest, most direct route out in case of a fire. Share your fire escape plan with your children and any regular visitors to your home.
How to get free fire safety advice for your home and free smoke alarms
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 and we will even fit free smoke alarms during the visit if you need them.
What to do if a young person is setting fires
Our free Firewise Scheme can help.
We offer one-to-one fire safety advice for children and their parents or carers.
