Fire

 

Most fires in the home start accidentally. Cooking accidents are the main cause of fires in the home. Faulty electrical appliances cause thousands of fires in the home each year. Smoking and candles also cause fires. Taking some time to understand why fires start in the first place and what you can do to prevent them, will help keep you, other people and your property safe

 

IMMEDIATE ACTIONS to take during a fire in the home

• Don’t tackle fires yourself. Leave it to the professionals. Get out, stay out, call 999.
• Alert everyone, shout "FIRE FIRE"
• Act quickly, get everyone out as soon as possible. Do not assume that everyone has heard the smoke alarm, particularly at night. Some children may not be woken by smoke alarms. 
• Get everyone together. (Including pets if safe to do so)
• Don’t waste time investigating what’s happened or rescuing valuables.
• If there’s smoke, keep low, crawl on the floor, 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.
• If you can, close doors behind you as you leave.  Even a regular door can stop the spread of fire for long enough to allow the firefighters to extinguish it before it destroys your property.
• if you're escaping with others, stay together if you can
• If your home is close to other properties, you should also alert your neighbours.
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What to do if your escape route is blocked

• If you can’t get out, get everyone into one room, ideally with a window and a phone.
• Put bedding around the bottom of the door to block out the smoke.
• Call 999 then open the window and shout “HELP FIRE