Tips to help prevent a house fire

Understandably, the devastating Grenfell Tower fire has left many of us feeling anxious about our own safety in our homes and how we can protect ourselves and loved ones from being faced with a similar tragedy.

The mere thought of a fire starting in your home can be terrifying, but it is important to know that fires are caused in a variety of ways and once started can spread quickly, causing damage to your home and furniture and putting lives in danger.

Fortunately there are a few simple steps that you can take to prevent a fire from starting:

Smoke Alarms

• Make sure you have smoke alarms on at least every level of your home
• Try and choose a smoke alarm that is mains operated or one with a long life (10-year) battery
• Test your smoke alarms regularly – it is important and essential to test them every month to make sure they are all in good working order
• Never disconnect or take the batteries out of your alarms
• Do not try to replace the battery on a 10-year long-lasting smoke alarm. Dispose of the device and replace it 
• Replacement batteries on older type of alarms will need replacing every year.

Escape Route

It is important to remember that a smoke alarm will not stop a fire happening. It is there only to warn you of a fire. 

• Plan your escape route and make sure all members of your household are aware of it. Remember as a general rule: Get out, stay out and call the fire brigade out! There may be specific escape advice for your particular building. 

General Advice

We at RoSPA hope that you never have to experience hearing the sound of your smoke alarm going off for real and that you never have to put your well-planned escape route into action. 

Following this safety advice given below will help to reduce the risk of a fire:  

• Many fires start in the kitchen, especially fat fires. Never leave a pan unattended when deep fat frying and watch for overheating. Use oven chips or for safer frying, a thermostatically-controlled deep fat fryer
• Do not overload plug sockets and do not use household appliances if they appear faulty
• Do not leave electrical items charging overnight and only use chargers designed for the product
• Register new appliances so you are contacted if there is a recall
• Do not smoke in bed and keep portable heaters and candles away from furniture and curtains. Position safely where they cannot be knocked over
• Never leave lit candles unattended.

Sheila Merrill, public health adviser