Home insurance - Tips & Advice - Safety in the home
New research by Direct Line recently revealed that the national public smoking ban could lead to more people smoking at home, therefore increasing the risk of related emergencies in houses across the UK. Read on to find out more, plus advice on how to make your home less of a fire hazard and what to do if the worst should happen…
According to the recent survey by Direct Line over 900,000 households will be at increased risk of fire following the public smoking ban, as smokers stay home to indulge their habit. The study went on to reveal that one in 10 smokers (11%) say they will be forced to smoke at home, resulting in an additional 16 million cigarettes smoked indoors every week.
With the Office of National Statistics branding cigarettes as a major culprit of fire in the home, causing around 60 house fires a week, this estimated increase in smoking at home could result in an additional 100 house fires a year. This trend would mirror an increase in fires in the home that occurred in New York after the public smoking ban was introduced there.
Smoke safely at home
So what can you do to make sure your smoking habits don’t create a fire hazard in your home? Along with the Fire Protection Association, we have come up with the following advice:
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Don’t smoke in the evening when the risk of related fire is greater due to tiredness and less care.
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Check that at least one properly maintained smoke alarm is present on each story of your house, and install if absent; they should be tested every week.
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Make sure you completely extinguish a cigarette before throwing it away, and if possible use a sealed ashtray instead of a regular bin.
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If you’re planning on socialising at home, and smoking will take place, ask guests to smoke in one room only, where hazards can be better monitored and dealt with. Or better still, ask guests to smoke outside.
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Do not smoke in bed (as 13 per cent of smokers do) or in the shed, where flammable objects are more common.
Of course you could also always give up, which removes the risk factor altogether – you can find helpful information on how to do this from our ‘Stop Smoking’ feature in the ‘tips and considerations’ section of our life insurance page.
What to do in an emergency
For more advice on fire hazards in the home, plus what to do in event of an emergency, you can also check our ‘Fire Hazards’ feature in the ‘tips and advice’ section of our home insurance page. Rule number one is not to panic. You should then alert everyone to the danger and if there is a lot of smoke, crawl along the floor where the air will be clearer. Don’t delay for valuables or even pets – nine out of 10 people do. And don’t investigate the fire. Instead, call 999 and leave it to the experts.
It’s also good to know that if your home or home contents are damaged by fire, Direct Line home insurance could cover you. Our home building insurance covers structural damage to your home and also outbuildings, while our home contents insurance provides new-for-old cover for household goods, including curtains, carpets, furniture and personal belongings in the home, garden and shed. This cover does not include clothing.
For more advice on avoiding and dealing with house fires visit www.firekills.gov.uk. For more details on how Direct Line home insurance can benefit you against a range of home emergencies and how much you could be saving, apply for a quote online today.
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