Fire safety | Progress Housing Group

As your landlord, fire safety is a top priority and we work very hard to ensure that our homes are as safe as possible.

Below, you can find fire safety advice and tips to help you prevent fires and what to do in the event of a fire.

We follow building regulations and install smoke alarms and heat detectors on your property where appropriate. We recommend you regularly test your smoke alarm.

Cooking

The most likely place for a fire to start is in the kitchen.

When you are cooking make sure that you do not leave the kitchen
Make sure that towels are away from open flames and the cooker
Keep your oven and grill clean as fat and bits of food can catch fire
Check you have turned everything off when you have finished cooking
We recommend you do not use a chip pan as they are very dangerous and are a major cause of incidents.

Electrical equipment

We carry out electrical checks on a regular cycle to ensure the safety of your installation.

If a wire or plug looks damaged, then do not use it
If there are scorch marks around a plug on the wall, do not plug anything into it
Do not plug more than one thing into each socket
Switch off and unplug things when you are not using them
Make sure that wires are not tangled. When a wire is twisted, and electricity is running through it, the wire can get extremely hot and start a fire.

Fires or heaters

When you are not in the room, make sure you turn off your fire or electric heater
Do not leave your fire or electric heater on overnight
Do not leave anything close to a fire or heater
If you have a portable electric heater, then make sure you do not position it right next to a wall or piece of furniture
If you use an electric blanket, then make sure you switch it off before you go to bed.

Other hazards

We recommend that you do not use candles or smoke inside.

Do not use BBQs on balconies or in enclosed spaces.

In the event of a fire, get out and stay out

If a fire alarm goes off or you see or smell a fire, then you should get out safely as soon as possible
Remember to stay calm and not panic
Do not try to put the fire out, and do not grab any of your belongings on your way out
If there is smoke then get down on your hands and knees where the air is clearer
Once you are outside, get a safe distance from the house and ring 999.

If you can't get out:

If a fire blocks your normal exit route from a building then try to find another way out
Use the stairs and not a lift
If there is no way out using a door then if you are on the ground or first floor then you can try escaping through a window
If you can you should drop something soft out of the window to land on like pillows or a duvet
If you cannot get out through a door or window then you should find a room without any smoke in it and close the door
Stay as low as possible to avoid the smoke
Put something like a towel or clothes behind the door to stop any smoke coming through the gap under the door
If you have a mobile phone then ring 999
Try to let people know you are there by shouting
If your clothes catch fire remember to stop, drop and roll.