What should I do if there is a fire?
If you discover a fire in your home:
- if you live in a house, make sure everyone in your home leaves the property immediately and;
- call the fire brigade by dialling 999
- if you live in a flat, please make sure you know if it is a stay put or evacuate policy
Your responsibilities
- Make an escape plan, out of your home, as this will help you escape if there is a fire. Make sure everyone living in your home is familiar with the plan.
- If you live in a flat, you must know if the policy is to 'Stay Put' or 'Evacuate'. There will be signage in the building
- You must make sure you have a working smoke detector in your home.
- Keep communal areas, corridors and staircases clear of large items such as prams, bikes or large plant pots as these could fuel a fire as well as get in the way of people evacuating the building and the emergency services gaining access safely.
- Do not set off fire works from balconies or in communal areas
- Do not use BBQs in communal areas or on balconies
- By law, you are not allowed to smoke in public places. This is to save lives and prevent illness caused by breathing in other people’s smoke. Public places include communal areas.
- Reduce fire risks, by switching off all electrical equipment (apart from items such as fridges) before going to sleep
- Don’t leave tumble dryers and washing machines running when you are not at home.
- Don’t leave lit candles unattended.
- If you have a fire you must report it to your Housing Officer or Customer Service Team.
Our responsibilities
- As your landlord we are responsible for carrying out regular fire safety checks in the communal areas of buildings. We will check hard wired heath and smoke detectors, alarm systems, fire extinguishers and emergency lighting.
- As part of our lettings standard we will ensure that there is a working smoke detector in your home before you move in.
- Where there is a requirement for a property to have an Fire Risk Assessment this can be requested from, our compliance team, compliance@sbhg.co.uk. It will be issued within 10 working days.
