Fire safety - Up at Busy Bees

Top tips for supporting fire safety in your home

Below you will find a selection of top tips to help keep your home and everyone inside it safe.

1. Install smoke alarms at your home

Install smoke alarms in your home, as a minimum you should have one fitted on each floor of your home. You should test your fire alarms once a month to check they are working, change the battery every year and replace the whole unit every 10 years.

2. Create an evacuation plan

Sit down with your family and discuss how to evacuate your home if a fire were to occur. Consider different locations within the house and plan what each adult is responsible for such as one to carry the baby and one to close the nearest door if possible. Share and practice this where possible with older children as this will help them to know what to do in an emergency.

3. Be fire safe when cooking

60% of home fires begin in the kitchen, therefore when you are cooking try not to leave the hob or grill unattended, wear loose clothing or cook when you are tired.

4. Complete checks before bedtime

Before heading to bed, check the following;
- Are electrical appliances switched off unless they are designed to be left on such as a fridge and freezer?
- Are escape routes and exits clear?
- Have any candles, incense sticks or oil burners been put out?
- Are mobile phones removed from charge? These should not be left to charge overnight.
- Have you closed any internal doors where possible to prevent smoke spreading if a fire does start?

5. Switch off appliances

When you have finished using an electrical appliance make sure this is switched off and unplugged. Tie and fasten up loose cables as this will stop young children from being able to pull on them and also prevents a trip hazard.