Make your home Fire-Safe
Keep yourself and your property safe from fire
No-one wants to find out that their property has been damaged by fire or smoke, however the States of Jersey Fire and Rescue service are called to hundreds of fires every year.
Taking simple precautions such as fitting smoke alarms, taking care whilst cooking and creating a fire escape plan can help to limit the risk to your property. To make sure you’re prepared, follow our Fire-Safe checklist and read our fire prevention tips!
Contact our 24-hour claims helpline
Within the UK: +33 1 45 1664 65
Outside of the UK: 0033 1 45 16664 65
To contact the local police, fire or ambulance service
In Europe: 112
In the USA: 911
In Australia: 000
View the full list of worldwide emergency telephone numbers.
Fire-Safe Checklist
Completing these simple checks around your home will give you some peace of mind…
- Fit smoke alarms on every level of your home
- Test the batteries in your alarm once a month. Never remove them
- Plan an escape route and make sure everyone knows how to escape
- Avoid leaving children in the kitchen alone when cooking on the hob – keep matches and saucepan handles out of their reach
- Take care when cooking with hot oil
- Don’t overload sockets – try to keep one plug per socket
- Stub cigarettes out properly and dispose of them carefully
- Ensure that candles are secured in a proper holder and kept away from curtains or fabrics
- Check your home before you go to bed – you are more at risk from a fire when asleep
- Close inside doors at night to prevent a fire from spreading
- Don’t tackle fires yourself – get out, stay out and call 999
Plan a safe escape
If the worst should happen and a fire started in your home, do you have an escape plan? It’s important to make sure that you have a plan and everyone in your home knows what to do in the event of a fire.
Think about routes out of your home in the event of a fire. The best route of your house is the one you use daily, but take time to plan alternative exit points in case your first choice is blocked.
Remove any obstructions from your route, in an emergency a few seconds could save a life
Making sure that everyone knows where and what to do in an emergency will help to avoid panic and reduce the risk of injury in the event of a fire.
Although security is important, being able to quickly and easily exit your house in an emergency is essential.
If you make changes to the layout of your home, update your plan and make sure that everyone knows how to get out.
If you are unable to get to safety:
Make sure you know where everyone in the property is. If possible, gather everyone into a single room with a window and a phone, then call 999
Place bedding around the bottom of the door to block out smoke, then open a window and shout "HELP FIRE" to attract attention
If you're on the first or ground floor, you may be able to climb out of the window. Use bedding to lower yourself down carefully, don't jump.
If you can't open the window, break the glass in the bottom corner. Find a solid object, wrap your hand in a shirt or a towel to avoid cutting yourself on the glass and protect your eyes, then swing hard. Cover the broken edges with a towel or a blanket before climbing through.
Know your smoke alarms
There are three kinds of smoke alarm, Optical, Ionisation and Combined. Here are the key differences
- Optical Fire Alarms
- Ionisation Alarms
- Combined Alarms
- Sometimes known as photo-electric alarms
- Highly effective in detecting slow-burning fires
- Optical alarms work using light sensors to detect smoke rather than heat
- Very effective at detecting smouldering fire such as overheated wiring
- Tend to be more expensive than other types of alarm
- Amongst the cheapest fire alarms, usually just £3 or £4 (and so are the easiest way to start keeping your property safe).
- Very effective at detecting hot, flaming fires such as chip pan or oil fires that don’t produce much smoke
- React faster to domestic blazes than Optical alarms
- Use features from both Optical and Ionisation Alarms
- Are typically slightly more expensive than Optical Alarms, however provide a faster response in all situations
- Are less commonly available than Optical and Ionisation Alarms
How effective are your fire alarms?
To make sure that your alarms are working at peak efficiency, make sure that you:
- Test your fire alarms on a weekly basis. Don’t rely on the “chirping” to remind you to replace the batteries
- Fit fire alarms on the ceiling of each floor of your house. Try to place the alarm as centrally as possible, but avoid placing them in locations such as kitchens and bathrooms, as cooking fumes and steam may cause false alarms.
- Check that your fire alarm meets the British Standards by checking the alarm for a kite mark.
Are you safe from fire?
Do you have a smoke alarm?
Have you checked your smoke alarm recently?
Have you made an escape plan?
If you answered NO to any of these questions, your life could be in danger. Contact Islands today to arrange a free fire safety visit.