Fire safety in your home

Every year, more than 37,000 household fires are reported in the UK and more than 260 people die in these fires. A further 7,300 are injured. One in ten of these fire victims are children. However, fire safety is not an issue that comes to our minds very often as we go about our daily routine. Yet in our homes, there may be dangers that can take lives and destroy our properties.

Remember, never try and tackle a fire yourself – if a fire starts in your home, call 999.

We’ve pulled together some top tips to help you stay safe in your home, and avoid a household fire:

Plan ahead:

• Create an emergency evacuation plan
• Make sure everyone living in the house knows where keys are
• Keep all escape routes clear
• Show your family your escape route and make sure everyone can open doors
• Have a second option escape route in case the first is blocked
• If any changes are made to your home, review your evacuation plan

In the event of a fire:

• Stay calm and act quickly – tell everyone to get out
• Don’t waste time trying to take valuables with you
• Close all doors behind you to contain the fire

If your escape route is blocked:

• Call 999 immediately
• Stay in a room far away from the fire and wait for the fire service to arrive
• If you can’t get to a phone, open a window and shout for help
• Put towels or bedding around the bottom of the door to reduce the smoke getting in

Fire prevention tips:

• Regularly (we advise once a month) test your fire alarm is still working.
• Never smoke in bed.
• Always keep a close eye on your cooking – especially if you use a chip pan.
• Keep all appliances and combustible materials such as tea towels and kitchen role away from the cooker when lit.
• Never leave burning candles unattended and make sure they are in a suitable holder. Find out more about using candles safely on Cheshire Fire & Rescue’s website here.
• Don’t overload electrical extension leads/adapters.

We invest heavily in safety precautions and fire preventative measures, and will continue to do so now and into the future to help protect our customers from the risk of fire as best we can. We carry out fire risk assessments (FRA) to check all our high-rise and low-rise flats and extra care schemes for fire risks. Find out more about FRAs. 

Safe and Well Visit for those ages over 65

Cheshire Fire and Rescue Service offer a free ‘Safe and Well Visit’ for people who are aged over 65 and for people who are referred to us by partner agencies because they are considered to be at a particular risk.

Safe and Well Visits are available to Cheshire residents who are aged over 65. The visits will still incorporate the traditional fire safety information (and smoke alarm fitting), but will also offer additional advice on slips, trips and fall prevention and affordable warmth.  Bowel cancer screening is discussed, as well as offering additional support to those who wish to stop smoking, taking drugs or reduce their alcohol consumption.And heart checks are also offered to residents.

Book a Safe and Well Visit for over 65’s

If you would like to find further information on fire safety, and how to prevent a fire in your home, visit Cheshire Fire and Rescue Service.

If you do have any concerns about your home, or would like to schedule your next Gas Safety Check, you can do so via our customer app.

Find more ways we can help you manage your home by viewing our Your Home page.