It is important to be aware of possible fire hazards around the home and to take steps to protect you, your family and the people living around you from fire.

Smoke alarms detect smoke at the earliest stages of a fire, giving you vital extra time to escape. Making sure you have a working smoke alarm fitted is an important precaution to protecting you from a fire.

Smoke alarms are cheap, easy to fit, and sold in most DIY shops. They should be fitted on every level of your home and the batteries tested once a week. You should never remove the batteries. Remember not to fit them in kitchens or bathrooms where smoke and steam could accidentally set them off.

To reduce the risk of fire:

• Never keep petrol or paraffin in your home
• Do not use paraffin or bottled gas heaters
• Take extra care with hot oil and never leave chip pans unattended on the stove or pour water onto a burning chip pan
• Never leave children alone in the kitchen when cooking and keep matches and saucepan handles out of their reach
• Make sure candles are in secure holders and never leave them unattended and keep away from curtains and fabrics
• Do not overload electrical sockets
• Put out cigarettes and matches and take care with ashtrays
• Put a fireguard around fires
• Do not hang clothes around fires, cookers or storage heaters
• Plan your escape route so you know how to get out in a hurry
• Never use a lift if there is a fire. Always use the stairs
• Never tackle a fire yourself – call 999

Many people are not aware that the Fire and Rescue Service will come and visit your home, completely free of charge, at a time that suits you. They will advise you on any aspect of fire safety within your home and help you devise an escape plan, if you do not already have one.

Further information on Home Fire Risk Assessments can be found at www.fireservice.co.uk/safety/.

Leaseholders living in blocks

If your property is located within a larger block that shares enclosed communal corridors, the front door to your property is your responsibility to maintain but if you wish to replace the door into your flat in the future there are certain regulations that you will need to take into account before doing so.

The Housing Act 2004 and The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety Order) 2005 sets out these regulations in order to maintain adequate fire separation between flats and communal areas as a means of escape.

Any replacement door, door frame and door furniture that you install needs to be a minimum of 30 minutes fire resistant. It is your responsibility to make sure that any replacement conforms to this standard and any current Building Regulations. The manufacturer/installer that you use will need to provide you with the relevant specifications and fire safety standards provided by their products.

If you are thinking of replacing your front door you can send the specification of what you wish to install to us which we will pass onto Your Homes Newcastle’s Fire Safety Officer who will check the specification to make sure that your replacement door fully complies with the necessary fire regulations.