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Fire safety advice for your council home

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Summer heat and fire safety risks

As temperatures are set to rise above 30 degrees again during summer holidays, firefighters are warning Londoners to stay safe in the heat.

Parks and green spaces

Despite some brief rainfall, London’s green spaces remain at risk from wildfires. Prolonged hot weather has dried out grass and woodlands, leaving them vulnerable to fire. 10 fire engines and around 70 firefighters tackled a recent grass fire at Ingrebourne Hill in Havering and around 10 hectares of grassland were damaged by the fire. Residents from nearby properties were evacuated as a precaution. Fire Crews worked for just under four hours to bring the fire under control.

If you’re planning to enjoy the weather either in a park or other open spaces, you should not take a disposable BBQ with you. Alongside poorly disposed of cigarettes, they pose a significant fire risk. The heat from a disposable BBQ can be retained for many hours, even after you think the barbecue has been put out safely. Smoking materials need to be discarded properly and you must either dispose of your rubbish in the appropriate bins or take it home with you if none are available.

Gardens and balconies

The long period of dry weather has also increased the fire risk in people's gardens. For those having a BBQ at home, ensure your BBQ is away from flammable materials such as dry brush, long grasses, fences or sheds and avoid setting up your BBQ on any decking you may have in your garden. 

If you live in a property with a balcony, you must not use it as a place to set up your BBQ. Dispose of cigarette ends safely. You must never throw cigarettes off the balcony or out a window - there have been two fires on balconies attached to council homes in the past weeks and these may have been caused by barbeques or cigarette ends. 

In an emergency 

In an emergency, always call 999.  

Smoke alarms 

Smoke alarms save lives.  

We’re fitting hard-wired smoke alarms in all tenanted flats in purpose-built blocks and street properties.

If you do not have a hardwired alarm yet, you can book a free home fire safety visit from the London Fire Brigade (LFB). Call 0800 028 4428 or visit the LFB website. 

How you can help 

Test your alarms every week. If the battery has stopped working, contact the repairs team on 020 7974 4444. 

Do not tamper with or disconnect hardwired smoke, carbon monoxide or heat detectors.  

Plan your escape 

A fire evacuation plan explains how to leave your building safely if there's a fire.

You should make time to understand your evacuation plan - it could save your life.

Find out more about fire evacuation plans for your council home. 

Keep communal areas clear 

You must keep communal areas free of anything that could catch fire or block an escape route. Find out more about fire safety in communal areas. 

If you need to get rid of large items, book a large item collection. 

If you have a bike, you can request a space or join the waiting list for a space in one of our existing bike hangars on the Cyclehoop website or the Falco website.

If you need extra storage, you can:

E-scooters and e-bikes 

Fires caused by lithium batteries in e-scooters and e-bikes are on the rise.

Always follow the manufacturer’s instructions for charging and do not store them in communal areas. Find out more about e-scooters and e-bikes.

Find more advice on E-bike and E-scooter safety

Smoking

Smoking is a major cause of house fires.

The London Fire Brigade has: 

Visit the Breathe Stop Smoking website if you want to stop smoking.

You cannot smoke in any of the communal areas in Camden’s residential buildings.

Kitchen and cooking safety 

Most fires start in the kitchen.

The London Fire Brigade has advice about cooking and fire safety including:

How to avoid electrical fires

Fires can start from faulty electrical items or overloaded sockets. Electrical work should always be done by a qualified electrician.  

The London Fire Brigade has advice on how to avoid electrical fires.

You can go to GOV.UK to check if an electrical item has been recalled. You can also register your appliance. That means you'll be contacted directly if it’s recalled.

Metal security gates or grilles

Security grilles and gates can be unsafe, and the London Fire Brigade advises against them wherever possible. 

Do not fit security grilles to windows, security doors or gates without our written permission. We will only consider requests that meet the relevant London fire safety guidelines. 

London Fire Brigade Saturday surgeries

Firefighters are available to give fire safety advice between 10am and midday every Saturday at:

  • Kentish Town fire station
  • West Hampstead fire station
  • Euston fire station

Home Fire Safety Visits

Watch the video for more information about the Home Fire Safety Visits that the London Fire Brigade offers. 

The video explains who is prioritised and how quickly the London Fire Brigade aim to respond. They prioritise by risk, including:

  • smokers
  • people living alone
  • anyone aged 60 or over
  • people receiving care (formal, informal, or both)
  • homes with no working smoke alarms
  • people who use mobility aids or who are chair or bed-bound
  • immediate concern: risk of arson or anti-social behaviour