Fire safety
Preventing fires in your home
Fires are dangerous and can cause
fatalities. Be aware of fire safety in your home and help avoid
danger. Here are some handy tips to keep you safe:
- Fit smoke alarms on each level of
your home and test them once a week.The London Fire Brigade
provides FREE home fire safety checks and smoke detectors. Contact
us to book an appointment or to find out more.
- Make a fire action plan so people
know how and where to escape.
- Take care in the kitchen – most fires
start in here, so never leave your cooking unattended and take
extra care when cooking with hot oil.
- Never leave lit candles
unattended.
- Make sure cigarettes are stubbed out
and disposed of carefully and never smoke in bed.
- Don’t overload electrical
sockets.
- Keep matches away from children.
Fires INSIDE your home
If there is smoke – keep low, keep
calm, and get everyone out as quickly as possible. Call 999 and ask
for the Fire Service.
Fires OUTSIDE your home
If you can’t escape or the fire is
outside your home:
- Get everyone into one room, it’s best
if it has a window that opens and a phone.
- Close all the doors and wait to be
rescued.
- Put bedding or towels along the
bottom of the door to prevent smoke and fumes from getting into the
room.
- Open a window and stay near it for
fresh air, and alert firefighters when they arrive.
- If you have a phone, call the fire
brigade. If you don’t have a phone, shout for help so someone can
phone for you.
Make an escape plan
Plan what you would do, with everyone in your
household, in case of a fire in your home. Check out the
London Fire
Brigade’s website for instructions on how to create your own
escape plan.
What you can do to keep your block safe
Keep the escape route clear
The communal areas outside your home are
likely to be used as part of their Escape Plan. Do not store or
leave items outside your front door, in communal areas or
corridors. They could escaping fire difficult and cause problems
for the Emergency Services.
Keep your front entrance door closed
Front entrance doors fitted by Tower Hamlets
Homes are designed to stop the spread of fire. Leaving the front
entrance door to your flat open allow fires to spread and in some
cases block off your neighbours escape route.
Smoking
Please do not smoke in the communal areas of
your block. Be careful how you dispose of cigarettes in your home.
Carelessly disposed cigarettes cause the highest number of fatal
fires in the UK.
Unwanted furniture
Do not leave unwanted furniture or kitchen
appliances in communal areas. As well as blocking your escape route
some furniture is extremely flammable and can give off poisonous
smoke in a fire. Get unwanted furniture
removed for FREE by calling 020 7364 5004.
General Rubbish
Please make sure all rubbish is placed safely
into the chute or bin provided. Use rubbish bags which are the
right size to go down the rubbish chute. Do not jam rubbish chutes
with oversized bags or leave bags next to rubbish chutes. If you do
not dispose of rubbish properly you could cause a serious fire
hazard. If you see someone doing this please tell us.
Recycling
Please do not place recycling bags onto the
landings before the day of collection. Find out more about recycling in your home.
Parking Safely
Only park your vehicles in designated bays on
estates. Never park on Emergency Fire Access routes or in a way
that would block refuse collection vehicles. If the bins are not
emptied the overflowing rubbish will increase the risk of
fire.
Gas Cylinders
Gas cylinders, unless for medical purposes,
must not be stored in your home, garage or store shed. Please let
us know immediately if you have a cylinder so that we can discuss
how these should be disposed of safely. Similarly, do not store
petrol or diesel even in garages or store sheds.
Check and turn off appliances
Check your home before going to bed and turn
off appliances like televisions. Faulty appliances and overloaded
sockets cause 7,000 house fires every year.
Smoke alarms
Check your smoke alarm every week - 90 people
die each year because the battery in their smoke alarm was dead or
missing.
Alterations and improvements
Never undertake alterations to your home
without getting proper approval from Tower Hamlets Homes. Illegal
alterations can greatly increase the risk of fire. Such alterations
include:
Fitting security gates to
your front door or grilles to your windows. In an emergency they
will delay your rescue and put you at risk. Never place a security
gate in front of a Secure by Design security door fitted by Tower
Hamlets Homes.
Fitting of new front entrance
doors, kitchen doors and fire
escape doors. If you have replaced or altered any of these
doors (including any door self-closers) without permission you may
have introduced a door which is not fire resistant. This may have
significantly reduced the fire protection to your property and
possibly your neighbours property as well.
Please do not hesitate to contact us if you
have undertaken alterations without approval.
Smoke alarms
Fit smoke alarms on each level of your home and test them once a
week.
London Fire
Brigade
Phone: 0800 028 44 28
Email smokealarms@london-fire.gov.uk
Repairs Helpline
Phone: 0800 376 1637 or 020 7364 7070
Streetline
Phone: 020 7364 5004
Crime-stoppers
Phone: 0800 555 111