Before you head off to bed, making some simple fire safety checks can save your life. Here is what to keep an eye out for.
Simple Checks Before You Head For Bed
Last year, out of the 6871 fires that the London Fire Brigade attended, 1985 were at night (between 9pm and 9am). So, before you go to bed, it’s really important to make some simple checks. These will only add a couple of minutes to your day but will significantly reduce your risk of a fire.
Our Fire Safety Checklist
1. Close all your internal doors to prevent smoke spreading if a fire starts.
2. Turn off and unplug electrical appliances unless they are designed to be left on – like your fridge or freezer.
3. Do not leave the washing machine, tumble dryer or dishwasher on overnight and unattended.
4. Do not leave mobile phones, tablets or e-cigarettes charging overnight.
5. Check that your hob and oven switches are off.
6. Turn heaters off, rake out fires and put fire guard in place.
7. Put candles, incense sticks and oil burners out and never them burning when you are asleep.
8. Make sure cigarettes or cigars are completely out – wet them to be sure.
9. Never smoke in bed.
10. Make sure escape routes are clear of anything that may slow your escape down.
11. Keep door and window keys where everyone you live with can find them.
12. If you or anyone else in the home has mobility issues, ensure mobility aids and methods of calling for help (like emergency pendants) are close to hand in case help is needed to assist with an escape.
Download our Fire Safety Checklist.
A good routine can save your life – but an early warning is important too.
We tend to worry more about fires occurring at night as you are likely to be asleep therefore there is less warning to escape.
That’s why it is so important to have both your smoke detector alarms working in every room where there is a chance a fire could start. Your smoke alarms should wake you if a fire does break out, but you can further reduce your risk by carrying out the simple checks above before you go to bed.