What to do in a fire | Fire safety

Be prepared — make an action plan:

• Choose the best escape route from your property and always keep this route clear of clutter.
• Make sure that everyone in your property is aware of this route and all door or window keys needed are within easy reach.
• Plan a secondary route in case your first route is blocked. If both your routes are blocked it may be safer to stay inside your property and await the fire service.

If there's a fire:

• Choose a room with a window and preferably a phone. Close the door behind you and block the bottom of the door with blankets or cushions to prevent smoke from entering the room.
• It's important to let people know where you are so if you haven’t managed to dial 999, open the window and call for help.
• If the window's on the ground or the first floor you may be able to escape through it, but you should only do this as a last resort. Don't jump! Lower yourself by your arms using the window ledge to grip onto. If there are two adults, one should go down first to catch children. The other should lie down and lower children as far as possible before letting them drop

Living in flats, apartments, or sheltered accommodation:

If you live in a flat, your front door is a fire door which is designed to withstand fire for at least half an hour and your flat is designed to act as a safe fire refuge until the fire brigade can rescue you.

If you live on an upper floor in a block of flats and a fire breaks out within the block you should:

• Follow the fire action policy for your building. The policies will be on signs around your block.
• Not use the lift.
• Not place any items in the communal areas such as furniture, plants, tables, doormats, mobility scooters, prams, bicycles or other personal items.
• Keep landings, balconies, lobbies, corridors and stairways clear at all times. These are part of the means of escape in all of our  blocks.