Staying safe in your home

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4. Fire safety

Your safety at home is very important to us. As your landlord, we have a legal responsibility to manage fire safety in council homes and communal areas, and to reduce the risk of fire wherever possible.

We work closely with Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue Service and specialist fire safety contractors to help keep homes and buildings safe.

What we do

We put a range of fire safety measures in place, including:

smoke, heat and carbon monoxide alarms
fire-resistant doors
emergency lighting and signage in communal areas
regular fire risk assessments
keeping communal areas clear so escape routes remain safe
Fire Action Notices in blocks of flats, as well as additional fire protection features and detection equipment as required.

Before you move in, all alarms are checked to make sure they work properly. We also test and replace alarms as part of our regular safety programme once a year - you must allow our staff or contractor access to do so. We recommend tenants check smoke detectors in their home once a month between our annual checks.

Fire safety equipment must not be tampered with. If it is damaged or removed, it may not work in an emergency and could put lives at risk.

We write to all residents in blocks of flats with communal areas once a year confirming what the fire strategy is for each building. Please familiarise yourself with this information and adhere to all of the instructions.

Fire doors – what we do

Fire doors will prevent heat and smoke from spreading for at least up to half an hour. We inspect flat front doors (in blocks above 11m in height) every year. We also inspect communal fire doors every 3 months in blocks above 11m in height. If there are any issues, we will repair these as soon as reasonably possible.

What you can do to stay safe

You can help reduce the risk of fire by:

testing your smoke alarms regularly
telling us if any alarms are missing or not working
never leaving cooking unattended
avoiding overloading sockets
not drying clothes on heaters or open fires
using candles carefully and never leaving them unattended
making sure cigarettes are fully extinguished and never smoking in bed
planning an escape route for everyone in your household
follow our electric vehicle safety information and guidance by visiting our Lithium-Ion Batteries / Electric Vehicles webpage.

E-bikes, e-scooters, electric wheelchairs and mobility scooters must be charged outside and away from the building, not inside homes or blocks.

Bottled gas must not be used or stored in council homes.

Please let us know of any specific or particular needs, requirements or vulnerabilities that we may need to know about. This will help us to prepare for how best to help and keep you safe in the event of an emergency.

To reduce the risk of fire, please take the following precautions:

Do not:

Keep flammable liquids, such as petrol or paraffin, at home
Store any items in the communal areas of flat
Use non-electric portable heaters such as those powered by paraffin or bottled gas.
Smoke or vape in communal areas of flats. Always follow signage instructions.
Store or keep items in corridors or exit routes
Prop or wedge open fire doors even if only for a short time.
Store timber, cardboard/paper, general refuse or any flammable liquids or materials on an external balcony or adjacent to the building.
Use a barbeque on your balcony, a communal balcony or immediately adjacent to the building.
Keep store cupboards opening into communal areas always locked.
Charge electrical equipment or run electrical cables through corridors or exit routes in any block of flat
Overload electrical sockets
Store Liquid Petroleum Gas (LPG) cylinders in a flat or communal area. On any other premises they must be used and stored according to the manufacturers’ instruct
Leave chip pans or your cooker unattended and never pour cold water onto a chip pan fir You should smother the flames with a fire blanket or damp cloth.
Take care with cigarettes, candles, matches, lighters and ashtray
Leave candles or naked flames unattended.
Hang clothes around fires, cookers or storage heater

Make sure you know how to get out of your home in a hurry. If there is a fire in your home get out of the building and raise the alarm, do not try to fight the fire yourself.

Further information can be found on the Devon & Somerset Fire & Rescue Service website.

Fire safety in blocks of flats

If you live in a flat, there are some extra steps to follow to protect yourself and your neighbours.

Please:

read and follow fire action notices in your building
keep fire doors closed and never wedge them open
report any fire door faults, such as doors not closing properly
keep communal areas, corridors and stairways completely clear
do not store items, furniture or white goods in communal spaces or cupboards
do not use barbecues or store flammable items on balconies or in shared areas

Anything left in communal areas may be removed for safety reasons.

What to do if a fire breaks out where you live

There’s different advice depending on where you live:

Houses

If there’s a fire in your house:

Quickly get out of the room where the fire is and close the door behind you.
Call the fire service on 999 immediately.
Tell everyone in your home that there’s a fire and to get out too.
Don’t stop to get any of your things.
Shut the front door firmly behind you.
Do not try and put the fire out yourself.
Wait outside away from the building in a safe place.
Alert the Housing Repairs and Maintenance team us as soon as you can, when safe to do so via Housing Repairs by phone 01392 265031

Blocks of flats

If you see or hear a fire when you are in a common area of a block of flats:

Leave by the nearest available exit
Call the fire service on 999 immediately
Wait outside, away from the building
Alert the Housing Repairs and Maintenance team us as soon as you can, when safe to do so via Housing Repairs by phone 01392 265031

If there’s a fire in the building (including in someone else’s flat) and we’ve told you to stay put:

The building you’re in is designed to contain a fire inside the flat where it started

If the fire isn’t in your flat, close all your doors and windows and stay inside

Dial 999 right away, just in case the person who’s flat is on fire is out or hasn’t been able to call 999.

If smoke or heat from the flat where the fire is starts to affect your home then leave immediately, if it’s safe to do so or if the fire service tells you to leave.
You can find out if this is the advice for your flat by contacting us. We write to all residents in blocks of flats with communal areas once a year confirming what the fire strategy is for each building.
Alert the Housing Repairs and Maintenance team us as soon as you can, when safe to do so via Housing Repairs by phone 01392 265031

If there’s a fire elsewhere in the building (including in someone else’s flat) and we’ve told you to leave the building (if possible):

If you’re in one of the homes where we told people to evacuate the building then do so, as long as it’s safe

If it isn’t safe, stay where you are and raise the alarm by dialling 999 immediately

Remember, when you dial 999 you need to ask for Fire

When the operator answers give the address of where the fire is don’t hang up until the address is repeated back to you and confirmed.

Balcony fire safety

Each year in the UK, a significant number of fires start on balconies. Many of these fires are caused by the unsafe disposal of smoking materials or the misuse of barbecues. These fires can result in serious injuries and, in some cases, fatalities. Fires can also cause severe damage to your home and neighbouring properties.

If you live in a home with a balcony, or in a block with shared communal balconies, it is important to keep these areas clear and free from fire risks. Fires that start on balconies are likely to spread more quickly than fires inside buildings.

Your homes is designed to be compartmented, meaning walls and doors help contain a fire and limit its spread. Inside a building, there is also a limited oxygen supply to fuel a fire. Outside, however, oxygen is unlimited, and wind can cause fire to spread rapidly upwards and outwards. This puts neighbouring balconies and homes—particularly those above you—at significant risk.

How you can help stay safe and protect others

There are simple steps you can take to protect yourself, your family, and your neighbours:

Do not use barbecues on your balcony, on communal balconies, or near the building. They are a serious fire risk, and falling embers can ignite balconies below.
Do not store gas cylinders on your balcony, as they could explode.
Do not store combustible or flammable materials on your balcony.
Do not leave cigarettes unattended. Always ensure they are fully extinguished after use.
Never throw cigarettes off your balcony. They could start a fire on a balcony below. Always use a suitable ashtray.
Keep your balcony clear and uncluttered. Items that can catch fire increase the risk of flames spreading into your home.
Do not store or charge electric vehicles such as e-bikes, e-scooters, electric wheelchairs, or mobility scooters on any balcony, communal area, or near the building. These pose a serious fire risk and can rapidly cause major fires without warning.
Report any fire concerns, such as fire doors not closing properly, or any other issues relating to your personal or communal balcony.

If you’re worried about fire safety

fire safety equipment is damaged, missing or not working
you see something that could increase the risk of fire
you are concerned about safety in your home, balcony, or building

You can also request a free home fire safety visit from Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue Service.