Home insurance - Tips & Advice - Safety in the home
Everybody knows that fire can be a killer, yet as many as 20% of UK homes still aren’t fitted with a smoke alarm. And did you know that you are twice as likely to die in a fire at home if you haven’t got a smoke alarm than if you have? If your house isn’t adequately protected from fire risks then you could be one of the 600,000 people who have to call out the fire brigade every year, or even worse you or a member of your family could be one of the 500 fatalities or 10,000 people who are injured annually in a domestic fire.
Fortunately, many Fire and Rescue Services now carry out free home safety checks to ensure that you are doing everything possible to prevent a domestic fire breaking out, and to ensure that you have the best chance of escape should a fire start. Many will also fit a smoke alarm for free.
Home visits
To find out if your local Fire and Rescue Service provides this service, simply give them a call. A full list of telephone numbers for regional Fire and Rescue Services can be found at www.firekills.gov.uk/home/01.htm and local headquarters also have their own websites. For those Fire and Rescue Services that don’t provide this service, many will invite you to a free presentation on home safety, giving you tips to take away and implement in your own home.
Remember that the 999 emergency number should never be called to arrange a home visit.
The Service will arrange a suitable time for a Fire Safety Officer to visit you in you home and assess any fire hazards that they find. The checks are usually available to everyone, but elderly people, less able people, and those with young children are particularly encouraged to request one.
During the visit, the Fire Safety Officer will give advice on how to make your home safer, what to do in the event of a fire, and what to do if you are trapped by a fire. They will usually offer you a free smoke alarm and explain how to maintain it correctly. The home safety visits will vary from Service to Service.
Check the alarm
It may be that you need more than one smoke alarm, as you should have a minimum of one on each floor of your home, positioned in a central location. If you want to purchase more alarms, your local Fire and Rescue Service can advise you on the different types that are available. The important thing to check for if you are buying your own alarms is to check that it conforms to British Standards 5466 and displays the British Standard kite mark.
Once you’ve got your alarm, it’s equally important to make sure that it is always working. You should check the battery each week, and replace it every year. The smoke alarm itself should also be replaced every ten years. Try and schedule a regular check into your week, such as after you put out your rubbish bins, so that you get into the habit of it. It only takes a few seconds, but it could save lives.
Put safety and security first. Get an online quote for home and contents at www.directline.com/home/welcome.htm
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