Be smart around fire risks in the home
B&D Reside Communications Team
With fireworks season coming up, it’s always a good idea to review the sensible precautions all households should be aware of to keep everyone in your home safe from fire risk.
The London Fire Brigade has a handy guide to fire safety around the home which you can read here
Our top five takeaways from the guide are:
1. Check your smoke and heat alarms:
If you are a leaseholder, install smoke alarms on every floor of your home.
If you rent from us, check you have a smoke alarm on every floor of your home. As your landlord, will replace any missing or faulty alarms. Let us know if any are missing or faulty. Contact us.
For everyone, test the smoke alarms in your home monthly and replace batteries as needed.
2. Smoking safety:
The safest option is not to smoke. If you do, smoke outside but not on balconies, ensure cigarettes are fully extinguished, and never smoke in bed or leave lit cigarettes unattended.
3. Kitchen safety:
Never leave cooking pans unattended, and avoid cooking when tired or under the influence of alcohol or medication. If a pan catches fire, do not tackle it yourself; turn off the heat if safe, leave the room, and call 999.
4. Electrical safety:
Do not overload sockets, avoid leaving items on continuous charge, and only keep essential appliances like the fridge or freezer switched on. The London Fire Brigade have shared with us details of their #ChargeSafe campaign which is raising awareness of the dangers of lithium batteries – particularly in e-bikes and e-scooters. We’ve highlighted their advice below.
5. Know your building’s evacuation strategy
If you live in a residential block, make sure you know your building’s evacuation strategy. This is what you do if a fire happens in your building. Everyone who lives in your home should know the evacuation strategy and your quickest, safest route out of the building.
There are two types of evacuation strategy: 'stay put' or 'simultaneous evacuation'. A sign near the entrance of your block will explain which type of strategy is used in your building.
1. The 'stay put' strategy
The 'stay put' strategy means that if there is a fire elsewhere in your building, you’re usually safer staying in your flat with the doors and windows closed.
Important: if your flat is affected by fire or smoke, leave immediately, closing the door behind you. Once you’re safely outside, phone 999 for the fire brigade.
2. The 'simultaneous evacuation' strategy
The 'simultaneous evacuation' strategy means if you hear a fire alarm in your flat and throughout the building – or you know there is a fire in the building – you should follow your evacuation strategy and leave by the quickest and safest route. Don't re-enter until you're told by the fire rescue service that it is safe to do so.
Advice from London Fire Brigade on lithium batteries
Did you know that on average there was a fire from a lithium battery in an e-bike or e-scooter every two days in 2023 in London?
Lithium batteries store a significant amount of energy in a very small space and are much more powerful compared to other types of batteries. If that energy is released in an uncontrolled way, then a fire or explosion may result. If there is overheating, crushing, penetrating or overcharging, then a fault can occur within damaged battery cells which may cause the battery to catch fire and/or explode.
Fires involving lithium batteries, which power these vehicles, can be ferocious, producing jets of flame. The blaze is also hot enough to melt through metal. This type of fire produces a highly flammable, explosive and toxic vapour cloud which should never be inhaled. The fire can also be extremely challenging to put out. The advice is to get away to safety and call 999.
Lithium batteries, or the devices powered by these batteries, should not be stored and charged inside your home or building. Keep them away from people in a shed or a garage. Never store or charge on an escape route such as a hallway or by an exit to a property.
#ChargeSafe
Devices that are powered by lithium batteries include e-bikes and e-scooters. These vehicles have become one of London’s fastest-growing fire risks. The fires often occur when the lithium batteries that power these vehicles fail and explode. Batteries can fail for a number of
reasons; such as if they have been built poorly, are fake or counterfeit, are damaged, overcharged or the incorrect charger is used.
London Fire Brigade has been running its #ChargeSafe campaign to raise awareness of the fire risks associated with these types of vehicles and batteries and to seek changes to regulation to prevent poor quality batteries, chargers and conversion kits being sold via online marketplaces.
London Fire Brigade have produced a video with Tower Hamlets which you may find informative available here: https://youtu.be/lYjJaPTvhTg?si=WTpnNNPFDzz7XRHp