Health and Safety - Fostering Guidance –Good Practice- Fire safety
FIRE SAFETY IN THE HOME
Most fire are started In the kitchen area of the home, through electrical faults, cigarettes and candles not being extinguished properly or heat from these things attaching to flammable material in the home.
Did you know…?
You’re twice as likely to die in a fire if you don’t have a smoke alarm that works.
90 people die each year because the battery in their smoke alarm was flat or missing.
Over half of home fires are caused by cooking accidents.
More than five fires a day are started by candles.
Every three days someone dies from a fire caused by a cigarette.
Faulty electrics (appliances, wiring and overloaded sockets) cause around 7,000 house fires across the country every year.
Think about Fire prevention: How does your home measure up?
What are the preventative measures you can take to avoid having a fire in your home?
Good Practice: Think about contacting Cumbria fire and rescue service: This is a recommended service for all foster carers and is free. The fire service do free safety checks and discuss the best options for what your own home needs in relation to fire prevention measures and install new alarms or change alarms if needed with no cost.
Good Practice: Think about making a fire and escape plan for your home and make sure children know what to do in the event of a fire and review it regularlyas homes change, new appliances and furniture are introduced.
Fire preventative Measures
PROTECT YOUR HOME WITH SMOKE ALARMS
The easiest way to protect your home and family from fire is with a smoke alarm.
Get it. Install it. And regularly check it. It could save your life!
Fit smoke alarms on every level of your home.
There are a variety of different models to choose from.
Your local Fire and Rescue Service will be happy to give you advice on which one is best suited for you and your home. Cumbria fire and rescue service provide and install them for free.
Contact the fire service for your free home safety check
SAFER COOKING
Spark devices are safer than matches or lighters to light gas cookers, because they don’t have a naked flame.
Double check the cooker is off when you’ve finished cooking
Take care with electrics and keep electrics (leads and appliances) away from water.
Check toasters are clean and placed away from curtains and kitchen rolls.
Keep the oven, hob and grill clean and in good working order. (Remember a build-up of fat and grease can ignite a fire easily).
Don’t put anything metal in the microwave
Think About: What would you do if you had a fire in the kitchen?
Don’t take any risks. Turn off the heat only if it’s safe to do so. And never throw water over it.
Deep fat frying Take care when cooking with hot oil – it sets alight easily-when it has a heat source to ignite it. Make sure food is dry before putting it in hot oil so it doesn’t splash up and over on to the cooker.
If the oil starts to smoke – it’s too hot. Turn off the heat and leave it to cool.
Use a thermostat controlled electric deep fat fryer.
Avoid leaving children in the kitchen alone when cooking on the hob.
Keep matches and sauce pan handles out of their reach to keep them safe.
Take extra care if you need to leave the kitchen whilst cooking, take pans off the heat or turn them down to avoid risk.
Make sure saucepan handles don’t stick out – so they don’t get knocked off the stove.
Take care if you’re wearing loose clothing – they can easily catch fire accidently.
Keep tea towels and cloths away from the cooker and hob.
Furniture
Always ensure that your furniture has a fire-resistant label attached.
Using an electric blanket
Don’t leave electric blankets folded as this damages the internal wiring. Store them flat or rolled up instead.
Unplug blankets before you get into bed, unless it has a thermostat control for safe all-night use.
Try not to buy second hand blankets and check regularly for wear and tear.
Electrical appliance advice
Keep all electrical appliances clean and in good working order to prevent them triggering a fire.
Keep your eyes peeled for signs of dangerous or loose wiring such as scorch marks, hot plugs and sockets. Fuses that blow or circuit-breakers that trip for no obvious reasons, or flickering lights.
Check and replace any old cables and leads, especially if they are hidden from view behind furniture or under carpets and mats.
Unplugging appliances helps reduce the risk of fire. Unplug appliances when you’re not using them or when you go to bed.
Electrics 5 + 5 + 3 =13 AMP usage for fuses and check manufactures instructions to what fuses can be used. Appliances use different amounts of power. e.g. .a television may use a 3amp plug and a vacuum cleaner a 5amp plug for example.
Always check that you use the right fuse to prevent overheating.
Make sure an electrical appliance has a British or European safety mark when you buy it. (Remember trading standards find many dangerous electrical fake goods in UK that are dangerous)
Certain appliances, such as washing machines, should have a single plug to themselves, as they are high powered.
Keep to one plug per socket. Don’t overload know the limit! An extension lead or adaptor will have a limit to how many amps it can take, so be careful not to overload them to reduce the risk of a fire.
Portable heaters
Try to secure heaters up against a wall to help prevent them being knocked and falling over.
Keep them clear from curtains and furniture
Never use them for drying clothes.
Naked flame and heat source fire risks
Candles
Make sure candles are secured in a proper holder and away from materials that may catch fire e.g. Curtains.
Put candles out when you leave the room, and make sure they’re put out completely at night.
Use a snuffer or a spoon to put out candles. It’s safer than blowing them out when naked flame moves and sparks can fly.
Children shouldn’t be left alone with lit candles.
Smoking
Keep matches and lighters out of children’s reach.
Consider buying child resistant lighters and match boxes.
Stub cigarettes out properly and dispose of them carefully. Put them out. Right out!
Never smoke in bed.
Use a proper ashtray – never straight in a bin.
Make sure your ashtray can’t tip over and is made of a material that won’t burn.
Don’t leave a lit cigarette, cigar or pipe lying around any surfaces. They can easily fall over and start a fire.
Take extra care if you smoke when you’re tired, taking prescription drugs, or if you’ve been drinking. You might fall asleep and set your bed or sofa on fire.
Pressurised containers
Keep them away from direct sunlight
Keep away from any heat sources especially mantles above fires
Remember in fire situations they are a risk and chemical and propellants inside can help spread fires, always check containers and any safety advice given by manufacturers that are on thecontainers
Fire plan of escape
Plan an escape route and make sure everyone knows how to escape.
Make sure all hallways and exits are kept clear.
The best plan of escape is the route that is the normal way in and out of your home. But think of a second route in case the first one is blocked by fire.
Take a few minutes to practice your escape plan.
Review your plan if the layout of your home changes.
Be prepared by making a fire plan
Keep door and window keys where everyone can find them
Fitting a smoke alarm is the first crucial step to protecting
Yourself from fire.
Smoke alarm advice
Test the batteries in your smoke alarm every week. Change them every year. Never remove them.
Never disconnect or take the batteries out of your alarm if it goes off by mistake.
Don’t put alarms in or near kitchens or bathrooms where smoke or steam can set them off by accident.
The ideal position is on the ceiling, in the middle of a room, or on the hallway and landing, so you can hear the alarm throughout your home.
Make checking your smoke alarm part of your regular household routine.
Test it by pressing the button until the alarm sounds. If it doesn’t sound, you need to replace the battery.
Fire Blankets
Fire blankets are used to put out a fire or wrap a person whose clothes are on fire. They are best kept in the kitchen.
Fire extinguishers shoot out a jet to help control a fire, but only for small manageable fires but they can spread fire more quickly if person not used them before always read the instructions first before using an extinguisher. If in any doubt get out and leave fire brigade to sort a fire out.
HOUSE ON FIRE -GET OUT AND STAY OUT
Keep calm and act quickly, get everyone out as soon as possible.
Don’t tackle fires yourself. Leave it to the professionals.
Don’t waste time investigating what’s happened or rescuing valuables.
If there’s smoke, keep low where the air is clearer as smoke rises.
Before you open any doors check if it’s warm. If it is, don’t open it – fire is on the other side.
Get out, stay out and call 999. Call 999 as soon as you’re clear of the building. 999 calls are free.
What to do if your clothes catch fire STOP! ROLL! DROP!
Lie down and roll around. It makes it harder for the fire to spread. . Don’t run around, you’ll make the flames worse.
Smother the flames with a fire blanket only if safe to do so. You could also use heavy coats or another heavy material, but remember not to use clothing with manmade fibres as they can be flammable.
People are more at risk from a fire when asleep. So it’s a good idea to check your home before you go to bed.
Night Time Preventive measures checklist
oClose inside doors at night to help stop a fire from spreading throughout your home.
oTurn off and unplug electrical appliances unless they are designed to be left on – like your freezer.
oCheck your cooker is turned off.
oDon’t leave the washing machine on when going to bed.
oTurn heaters off and put up fireguards.
oPut out candles and cigarettes out properly.
oMake sure hallways, windows and door exits are kept clear.
oKeep door and window keys where everyone can find them.
Foster carer fire safety Plan
Name of foster carer:
No. of bedroomsNo. of shared rooms:
Draw a rough floor plan of your home for each level. Try to Show all doors and window placement and show stairs. This will show all members of your family all possible escape routes in the event of a fire.
Ground floor
First Floor
Other floors
Use a coloured pencil, pen highlight the main escape route that you would use to leave the home usually.
Now using a red pencil, pen find a different escape routes in case main routes are blocked. Include roof of garage or porch roof escapes but only if safe to use. Try to find 2 ways out of each room.
Does anyone in the household need help to be able to escape? Who will help them?
Where would everyone meet up once they have escaped? Choose somewhere a safe distance from home?
Remember: Call the fire brigade once you have escaped the fire and out of home don’t waste valuable seconds that can be used to get out! And remember most fires in the home are preventable.
Preventative measures
Have you received copy of fire safety in the home? Yes/No
Have you arranged fire safety visit to your home, by fire and rescue service? Yes/No
Has it been done this year? Yes/No
Are you aware of night time preventative checklist? Yes/No
Signature of carer:
Date:
Fire safety plan Fostering Social Worker
Has the carer been given fire safety guidance booklet? Yes/No(If unknown check approval checklist)
Are there any persons in the household that would require extra help to be able to escape if a fire broke out in the carers household?
Are there any specific issues within the home that need to be considered that may have risk of causing a fire? (Cooking, naked flames, heat sources, electrical)
Is there anything that can be done to reduce the risk?
Are there means of escape windows in the property, do all rooms have window that can be opened? Yes/No
If no, what rooms and can anything be done to improve escape from rooms.
Are all exit routes noted in fire plan diagram free from clutter? Yes/No
If no, what are the areas of concern and can anything be done to improve the situation?
Do they have any preventive measures in place in the home?
Smoke alarms, Extinguisher, blankets, other circle as appropriate
Have checks been done by carer recently to make sure equipment is in good working order? Yes/No
Signature of carer Signature of Fostering Worker
Date
Review of fire plan date