This week is National Home Fire Safety Week and we have written some top tips in order to prepare your home, prevent risks, and plan an escape route.

Trident Group take the safety of our residents and customers extremely seriously. It is important that residents are aware of potential risks and how best to prepare and to respond to fire should one occur.

Here are the key factors in maintaining a fire-free home:  

Naked flames are a leading risk within the home, place candles and ashtrays carefully and securely, keeping naked flames away from flammables and remember to put out any lit candles or cigarettes before leaving the room. Always supervise children or pets around lit flames.  

Use electricals carefully and follow product instructions to ensure your safety, making sure all appliances are unplugged after using. Keep your appliances clean and in good working condition. Use the correct chargers and check appliances for a British/European safety sticker. 

Smoke and Carbon Monoxide  alarms are crucial in detecting potential home fires or carbon monoxide leaks Check your Smoke and C0 alarms monthly to ensure they are working, cleaning the insides twice a year. Fit a smoke alarm on each level of your home as close to the centre of the room as possible and fit a C0 alarm in any room that has appliances that burn fuel. As well as in your own home, if you see any issues in Trident properties please let the building safety team know.  

Barbecues are a hit in the summer – remember to BBQ safely by never using barbecues indoors and keeping them away from children and pets. When you have enjoyed your barbecue, make sure it is cooled off before moving, emptying ashes onto bare garden soil. Always keep a bucket of water nearby for emergencies.  

As E-Bikes, E-Scooters and Mobility Scooters are on the rise, store yours safely by keeping away from flammable materials. Use the correct charger, ensuring you do not overload sockets and keep battery packs uncovered to avoid overheating. Make sure you store your bike or scooter safely, away from any building and fire access points. If you see any scooters or bikes being stored in the corridors or accessways of our properties, please make the building safety team aware.  

Home Safety Evacuation Plan

Most importantly it is important to have a fire action plan for your home. Our properties will have a plan depending on how it is built and designed. It is important that you follow that building’s action plan should a fire occur. You can read this on the Fire Action Notice in your block which will tell you if you should follow the “Stay Put” Policy or evacuate.

Stay Put

A ‘Stay Put’ Policy is an evacuation strategy used in purpose-built blocks of flats. If a fire is not in your flat, you should stay inside with the doors and the windows closed. If a fire should occur in a person’s flat or common areas of a building, you should evacuate and call the fire and rescue services. The National Fire Chiefs Council (NFCC) support the ‘Stay Put’ policy wherever possible, with the view that it has proved over the course of many years to be a safe strategy for occupants residing in purpose-built blocks that are built and maintained correctly. If your action plan in your block tells you to stay put and there is no fire in your home, stay put. Unsure? Speak to your Housing Officer.

Evacuate

If you do not have a stay put policy, alternatively you can make your own evacuation plan so that you can prepare yourself and know exactly what to do in the event of a fire.  

• Talk with Your Family and Friends to create a fire action plan so that everyone in your home knows how to escape if there is a fire
• Keep the exits from your home clear so that people can escape. Make sure that everyone in your home can easily find the keys for doors and windows.
• Plan your escape route. The best escape route is the way you normally leave your home. But think about how you could get out if the fire blocks this way.
• If there is a fire in your home, you need to get out safely, stay out, and call 999 for the Fire and Rescue Service

If There is a Fire in Your Home.
• Keep calm and act quickly! Immediately tell everyone in your home. Don’t waste time investigating, or rescuing valuables.
• Before you open a door check it with the back of your hand. If it’s warm, don’t open it – fire is on the other side. Remember to shut doors behind you.
• If you need to break a window, use a heavy object to break the glass in the bottom corner. Then knock out the glass. Be careful of jagged edges, make them safe by laying a towel or blanket over them
• Break your fall with cushions and bedding. Remember, don’t jump – lower yourself before dropping

Practise your fire action plan
• Regularly take a few minutes to ‘walk ‘the escape route with everyone in your household and check that everyone can unlock and open doors and windows easily.
• Review your plan regularly, especially if you make any changes in your home.

You can read more in our residents handbook.

For more useful safety tips, check out the National Fire Chiefs website: Home Fire Safety Week (nationalfirechiefs.org.uk)