Fire safety in your home

As your landlord, it’s important we share information with you about how to stay safe in your home.

Today we are focussing on what to do in the unlikely event of a fire in your home, some of this information only applies to those living in a shared block of flats.

More information around fire safety is also available online.

If there is a fire in your home:

• Do not stay to fight the fire. Evacuate everyone from the flat / property immediately
• Close all doors behind you
• Leave the building by the most direct route and do not use a lift
• Once you have got to a safe place dial 999 for the fire service and follow the operator’s instructions 

In the highly unlikely event that you cannot leave your flat due to fire, follow this advice:

• Dial 999, contact the fire service, however if you are unable to do so, open the window and try to attract the attention of others who can alert the fire service. If the room becomes smoky, lie down on the floor – it’s easier to breathe there because the smoke will rise upwards
• Close the door nearest to the fire and use towels or sheets to block any gaps

If there is a fire somewhere else in the building (flats):

• Stay put in your flat unless affected by smoke and/or fire or asked to evacuate by the fire service. In nearly all cases where there is a fire elsewhere in your building, evacuating is not necessary
• Call the fire service by dialling 999. Do not attempt to tackle the fire yourself
• If your route out of the building is blocked by smoke or fire, move away from the fire and seek refuge in a protected area as far away from it as possible behind fire doors
• Fire exit signs are designed to identify the means of escape in the event of a fire. They have been positioned throughout the common areas of your block to help identify the way out in the event of an emergency.

Do not re-enter the building until authorised to do so by the fire service.

Escape routes

Familiarise yourself with the escape route(s) from your property / flat. For most homes, that means accessing the front door or using the staircase. Remember, never use a lift in an emergency. You will find fire doors on flat entrances, across corridors/stairs on the escape route and on electrical cupboards. They are there to protect your means of escape and should never be wedged or propped open.

In the event of an emergency, these escape routes would be vitally important to your safety. They must be kept clear at all times and not obstructed with anything that would slow you down if you had to leave you home quickly. Your life or those of your family and neighbours could be endangered if there are obstacles in the way.

It is vital that the protected routes are kept clear of obstructions and combustible materials, so that anyone evacuating the building does not find that their escape route is unusable.

Safety features in your home

To help prevent and detect smoke and fire in your home, there are the following safety features in your home:

• Smoke detectors are installed in the property
• Carbon monoxide (CO2) and heat detectors are installed in kitchens where necessary to reduce the number of ‘false alarms’ caused by cooking.
• The entrance door to your home is a protected fire door (flats)
• Some of the internal doors to rooms in your home will also have some fire resistance

If you see something within your home or block of flats that you feel is not safe, please let us know as soon as possible on 0300 555 2345 (office hours) or fire.team@dudley.gov.uk or 0300 555 8283 (out of hours)