You may be surprised to know that...

• You’re four times more likely to die in a fire if you don’t have a smoke alarm that works.
• Around half of home fires are caused by cooking accidents.
• Two fires a day are started by candles.
• Every six days someone dies from a fire caused by a cigarette.
• About two fires a day are started by portable heaters.
• Faulty electrics (appliances, DIY wiring and overloaded sockets) cause around 6,000 fires in the home across the country every year.

The easiest way to protect your home and family from fire is with working smoke alarms.

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Did you know...?

• A working smoke alarm could save you in a fire.
• 35 people die each year because their smoke alarm is not working.

Love to hate your smoke alarm

We all know that an accidentally triggered smoke alarm can be a frustrating experience. But one in three battery operated smoke alarms fail to activate in a house fire - most often because the battery has been removed.

Everything about the pitch, volume and pattern of a smoke alarm are designed to trigger instinctive danger responses in all of us. With the alarm pitched at the most sensitive range of human hearing (3000Hz), a triggered alarm will instantly grab the attention.

All smoke alarms have to be capable of waking an adult from deep sleep, which means they must sound at a minimum of 85 decibels from three metres away - that's the same volume as a bus passing through your living room!

A matter of life and death

Never, ever remove the batteries in your alarm. It may be frustrating to find your fry-up has set it off again, but a working smoke alarm could mean the difference between life and death in a real house fire.

Fitting smoke alarms is the first crucial step to protecting yourself from fire. But what would you do if one went off during the night?

This section will help you make a plan ready for an emergency.

Be prepared by making an escape plan:

• Plan an escape route and make sure everyone knows how to escape.

• Regularly make sure the escape route and final exits from the house/flat are kept clear

• The best route is the normal way in and out of your home.

• Think of an alternative escape route if possible? Most houses will have fire escape windows fitted to the first floor windows and these are best kept unlocked if possible. Fire escape windows are the “last resort” but are particularly important, for instance, in houses with open-plan staircases.

• Take a few minutes to practise your escape plan.

Top Tip: Keep door and window keys where everyone knows where to find them, to help save time and possibly lives if you have to get out your house quickly.

Don't tackle fires yourself, leave it to the professionals: get out, call 999 and stay out!

• Keep calm and act quickly, get everyone out as soon as possible.

• Don’t waste time investigating what’s happened or rescuing valuables.

• If there’s smoke, keep low where the air is clearer.

• Before you open a door check if it’s warm. If it is, don’t open it – fire is on the other side.

• Call 999 as soon as you’re clear of the building. 999 calls are free.

Top Tips:

• If you live in a block of flats make sure you follow the instructions given in the Fire Action Plan. This can be found on the fire safety notice board which is located in the main entrance way or foyer of your block. 
• You will also have been sent a fire safety leaflet by LCC each year which explains what the Fire Action Plan is for your building/block of flats.
• As you leave/escape from the fire having checked that all rooms have been evacuated, please close all the doors to these rooms behind you, especially the door to the room containing the fire (if possible), as this will slow down the spread of the fire.
• External doors should also be closed to minimise the amount of oxygen entering & further fuelling the fire. 

If you can’t get out, get everyone into one room, ideally with a window and a phone.

• Close the door and put bedding around the bottom of the door to block out the smoke.

• Call 999 then open the window and shout "HELP FIRE".

• If you’re on the ground or first floor, you may be able to escape through a window.

    - Use bedding or soft upholstery to cushion your fall and lower yourself down carefully. Do not jump.

    - If you can’t open the window break the glass in the bottom corner. Make jagged edges safe with a towel or blanket.

You are more at risk from a fire when asleep. So it’s a good idea to check your home before you go to bed.

✓Close inside doors at night to slow the spread of fire.

✓Turn off and unplug electrical appliances unless they are designed to be left on – like your freezer.

✓Check your cooker is turned off.

✓Don’t leave the washing machine on.

✓Turn heaters off and put up fireguards.

✓Put candles and cigarettes out properly.

✓Make sure exits are kept clear.

✓Keep door and window keys where everyone can find them.

✓Do not leave any electrical devices such as escooters/ebikes/mobile phones/laptops - or anything containing a Lithium-ion battery - on charge overnight.

Lancaster City Council have three high rise block of flats on Mainway in Skerton. The council takes fire safety very seriously.  We work closely with Lancashire Fire and Rescue Service to ensure that all our buildings are as safe from fire as possible. 

Stay Put Policy

If you live in one of the council's three high rise block of flats it is important to know that the blocks operate on a 'stay put' evacuation policy, which involves the following approach to fire evacuation.

When a fire occurs within your flat, you should alert other household members, make your way out of the building and summon the fire and rescue services on 999.

If a fire starts in the common parts/communal areas of a building, any person in these areas should make their way out of the building and summon the fire and rescue services on 999.

All other residents not directly affected by the fire, would be expected to 'stay put' and remain in their flat unless directed to leave by the fire and rescue service.

Important Note: It is not implied that those persons not directly involved in the source of the fire who wish to leave the building should be stopped from doing so, nor does this stop those evacuating a flat/communal area that is on fire from alerting their neighbours so that they can escape should they feel threatened.

Cook safely Take extra care if you need to leave the kitchen whilst cooking, take pans off the heat or turn them down to avoid risk.

• Avoid cooking when under the influence of alcohol.

• Avoid leaving children in the kitchen alone when cooking on the hob. Keep matches and sauce pan handles out of their reach to keep them safe.

• Make sure saucepan handles don’t stick out – so they don’t get knocked off the stove.

• Take care if you’re wearing loose clothing – they can easily catch fire.

• Keep tea towels and cloths away from the cooker and hob.

• Spark devices are safer than matches or lighters to light gas cookers, because they don’t have a naked flame.

• Double check the cooker is off when you’ve finished cooking

Take care with electrics

• Keep electrics (leads and appliances) away from water.

• Check toasters are clean and placed away from curtains and kitchen rolls.

• Keep the oven, hob and grill clean and in good working order. A build up of fat and grease can ignite a fire.

Important Note: Don’t put anything metal in the microwave.

Deep fat frying

• Take care when cooking with hot oil – it sets alight easily.

• Make sure food is dry before putting it in hot oil so it doesn’t splash.

• If the oil starts to smoke – it’s too hot. Turn off the heat and leave it to cool.

• Use a thermostat controlled electric deep fat fryer. They can’t overheat.

What to do if a pan catches fire

• Don’t take any risks. Turn off the heat if it’s safe to do so. Never throw water over it.

• Don’t tackle the fire yourself.

How to avoid electrical fires

• Always check that you use the right fuse to prevent overloading.

• Make sure an electrical appliance has a British or European safety mark when you buy it - and only use the charger that was supplied by the manufacturer with the device to recharge it.

• Certain appliances, such as washing machines, should have a single plug socket to themselves, as they use alot of power.

• Wherever possible, try and keep to one plug per socket.

• When charging electrical goods, follow the manufacturer’s instructions and look for the CE mark that indicates chargers comply with European safety standards.

Extentions and Adaptors

An extension lead or adaptor will have a limit to how many amps it can take, so be careful not to overload them to reduce the risk of a fire.

Appliances use different amounts of power – a television may use a 3amp plug and a vacuum cleaner a 5amp plug for example

Make sure you are aware of your extension or adaptor's amp limit, and never overload it. For example: a 13 Amp extension can take two 5 amp and one 3 amp appliances.

Top Tips

• Keep your eyes peeled for signs of dangerous or loose wiring such as scorch marks, hot plugs and sockets, fuses that blow or circuit-breakers that trip for no obvious reasons, or flickering lights.

• Check and replace any old cables and leads, especially if they are hidden from view – behind furniture or under carpets and mats.

• Unplugging appliances helps reduce the risk of fire.

• Unplug appliances when you’re not using them or when you go to bed.

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Keep electrical appliances clean and in good working order to prevent them triggering a fire.

If you already have a battery powered mobility scooter or you are interested in getting one, you should ensure that there is enough space within your home to be able to accommodate it. If you live in a block of flats or an independent living scheme you must also apply to LCC as Landlord for permission to have one within the building.

It should also be noted that wheelchairs and scooters along with other non-permissible items must not be stored and kept in communal areas, such as corridors and landing. This is because they constitute a fire risk, and could affect peoples ability to escape safely in the event of a fire.

As well as posing a possible obstruction to escape, there is now a clear and increasing body of evidence to show that mobility scooters present a fire risk in themselves, often while charging. When burning mobility scooters produce vast quantities of smoke and heat, which makes the spread of fire worse and impacts further on fire escape.

To see an example of the risk a mobility scooter can cause, you can view a fire safety information video from Dorset Fire and Rescue Services here.

Portable heaters inlude; open coal, wood or coke fires, gas fires, portable gas fires (LPG heaters), electric fires and heaters, and oil and paraffin heaters.

Most accidents are caused by people's behaviour rather than technical faults in the appliances themselves. For example, standing or sitting too close to the heater, allowing clothing or other items to come too close, or leaving heaters on overnight can all cause accidents.

Although never recommended by the fire service or the council, some people may choose to use portable heaters. Council Housing would strongly recommend that if you choose to use one:

• Never sit too close to a heater - you could easily set light to your clothes or your chair, particularly if you fall asleep. Sit at least 1 metre (3 feet) away.
•  Try to secure heaters up against a wall to stop them falling over.
• Keep them clear from curtains and furniture and never use them for drying clothes.

To help you stay safe and warm in winter and to help reduce the number of unsafe electric blankets being used in homes, we recommend that you follow these simple steps when using and storing your electric blanket.

Using your electric blanket

Do:

✓read and follow the manufacturer's instructions before use

✓examine your blanket regularly for signs of wear or damage

✓use the blanket only for the purpose the manufacturer intended, i.e:

     - over-blankets must only be positioned above the occupant of the bed

     - under-blankets must only be positioned under the occupant of the bed

✓check the manufacturer's instructions for suitability to wash your blanket

✓carry out a visual check of the blanket to make sure the blanket is intact with no visible signs of damage caused in transport when first purchased

✓if the fuse in the 13 amp plug requires changing, a 3 amp BS 1362 fuse must be fitted

Do Not:

✗use the blanket whilst it is still folded or creased

✗use a hot water bottle at the same time as using your electric blanket

✗touch the blanket with wet hands or feet

✗insert or use pins to hold the blanket in place on the bed

✗use the under-blankets on adjustable beds, or if used on an adjustable bed, check that the blanket and cord do not become trapped or rucked, for example in hinges

✗use an electric blanket on the bed of a helpless person, an infant or a person who may have a condition that makes them insensitive to heat

✗allow the appliance to be used by young children unless the controls have been pre-set by a parent/carer or that you are satisfied that the child is able to use the appliance safely

✗allow people with pacemakers fitted to use heated bedding for all night use

Storing your electric blanket

When your blanket is not in use, it should be stored flat, rolled up or loosley folded to prevent damage to the internal wiring.

Do not use moth-proofing chemicals on it, or place heavy items on top of it.

It can even be left on the bed all year round, or loosely folded and stored in a cool dry place.

Furniture and Furnishings Regulations are part of UK law and are designed to ensure that upholstery components and composites used for furniture supplied in the UK meet specified ignition resistance levels and are suitable labelled.

Always make sure that your furniture has the fire-resistant permanent label.

Cigarettes: Put them out. Right out!

Stub cigarettes out properly and dispose of them carefully.

• Never smoke in bed.

• Use a proper ashtray – never a wastepaper basket.

• Make sure your ashtray can’t tip over and is made of a material that won’t burn.

• Don’t leave a lit cigarette, cigar or pipe lying around. They can easily fall over and start a fire.

• Take extra care if you smoke when you’re tired, taking prescription drugs, or if you’ve been drinking. You might fall asleep and set your bed or sofa on fire.

• Keep matches and lighters out of children’s reach.

• Consider buying child resistant lighters and match boxes

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Candles

Make sure candles are secured in a proper holder and away from materials that may catch fire – like curtains.

Put candles out when you leave the room, and make sure they’re put out completely at night. Also make sure that children and pets are not left alone with lit candles.

Top Tip: Don't place lit tea lights on top of your TV or other electrical applicances, the metal base can heat up and melt through the casing dramatically increasing the chance of a fire starting.

Please make sure that you check the lint tray of your tumble dryer regularly - as well as the drum itself - to make sure that build-up of lint and/or fluff has been cleared.   

In November 2015 a product recall was initiated to owners of tumble dryers manufactured by various brands including Hotpoint, Indesit, Creda, Proline, and Swan. The recall related to condenser and vented dryers manufactured between April 2004 and September 2015.

The recall related to the risk of fire caused by laundry fluff coming into contact with the heating element of the machine and is believed to be responsible for thousands of house fires and at least two fatalities. Since then the manufacturers of the affected dryers have offered customers the chance to have the fault rectified.

At the time of the initial recall the information provided by the manufacturers was to not leave the machines unattended when in use. However, in the past week Trading Standards have recommended that the manufacturer issues updated usage advice to all customers that have not yet received the product rectification.

The latest update now recommends that if you have one of the affected dryers then you unplug it and do not use it until the modification has taken place.

For more advice and to arrange a free visit from an engineer, please visit the following sites: 
safety.indesit.eu
safety.hotpoint.eu
safety-swan.eu

Alternatively a freephone hotline number is available: 0800 151 0905

Creda and Proline customers should visit:
safety.hotpoint.eu