Fire safety
Contents:
1. Fire safety tips for your home
2. Fire safety for people living in flats
3. What we do about fire safety
1. Fire safety tips for your home
- Check your smoke alarms?every month to make sure they work. If they don’t, call the Housing Repairs team on?01395 517458?or email?repairs@eastdevon.gov.uk. Don’t remove or mess with the alarms.
- Be careful when cooking, especially with hot oil. Make sure you don’t leave your appliance (such as cooker or microwave) on after use. You should also not leave it unattended when in use.
- Use candles safely. Put them in strong holders and never leave them burning alone. Always blow them out before bed or leaving the house. Please do not place burning candles near to flammable items.
- Put out cigarettes properly. Use deep ashtrays and never smoke in bed.
- Don’t overload plug sockets. Use one plug per socket and turn things off when you’re not using them.
- Check electrical items?regularly to make sure they’re safe.
- Plan how to escape?in case there’s a fire.
- Turn off cookers and other appliances?before going to bed or leaving the house.
- Don’t use bottled gas or portable gas heaters?inside your home.
- Don’t dry clothes on electric heaters or radiators.
- Don’t hoard items in your home
- Don’t try to fight a fire yourself. Leave the house right away and call?999?for the Fire Brigade.
If you're worried about fire safety in your home, you can ask your local Fire & Rescue Service for a?free Home Safety Visit.
2. Fire safety for people living in flats
We work hard to keep flats safe from fire, especially in shared areas like hallways and staircases.
Here’s what you need to know:
- Read the Fire Action Notices?in hallways and corridors. They tell you what to do if there’s a fire.
- In case of a fire, do not use lifts to leave the building.
- Keep shared areas clear.?Don’t leave things like bikes, mobility scooters, or rubbish bags in hallways or stairwells. These can block escape routes or make fires worse.
- Don’t use electrical items?like washing machines or fridges outside your flat or in outside storage cupboards.
- You may not smoke in communal areas; it’s against fire safety regulations.
- Communal doors must be kept closed. Do not prop them open as they are a key safety measure to stop fires spreading.
- If you have a?balcony, don’t use it for barbecues or store things that can catch fire easily, like paper, cardboard, or wood.
Fire safety is everyone’s job. We must keep escape routes clear and safe. Your tenancy agreement says:
"You must not keep or leave things in your home that could be dangerous, cause a fire, or block escape routes."
Housing officers check shared areas regularly. If they find items left there, they will remove them. You’ll be charged?£25?to get each item back.
Ignoring these rules puts lives at risk. If problems continue, we may take legal action, and you could lose your home.
3. What we do about fire safety
Keeping tenants and their families safe is very important to us.
We’re working hard to make sure all homes and shared areas meet fire safety rules. This includes:
- Talking to people who live in blocks of flats to make sure nothing is stored in shared areas
- Helping tenants understand how to keep their homes safe from fire
- Training housing officers to spot and report fire risks
- Checking shared areas to make sure they’re clear and safe
- Helping older and disabled tenants clear their lofts and checking for fire risks
- Updating our fire safety rules and policies
You can read more in our Fire Safety Policy.