Did you know? There’s generally a rise in accidental house fires during times when living costs go up—often because people turn to cheaper ways to stay warm.
Here us our simple tips to stay safe:
Do:
- Do use your central heating to heat your home.
- Do get your boiler and other solid fuel appliances serviced once a year by a qualified person.
- If you have a chimney or flue, get this swept every year as a minimum. The best time to do this is in Autumn before you use it for the first time in the winter.
- Do get log burners and similar items fitted by a qualified person. Installing these yourself can lead to fires. Smoke entering your or your neighbours property and the release of poisonous gases such as Carbon Monoxide.
- If you choose to top up with portable heaters the safest type of portable heaters are oil filled radiators.
- Always switch off portable heaters when you leave the room or go to bed.
- Do give heaters space: Keep at least three feet (about a metre) of clear space around heaters, fireplaces, and radiators. Don’t let anything flammable get too close.
- Do install Carbon Monoxide alarms: Carbon Monoxide is a dangerous gas you can’t see or smell. A detector can alert you before it becomes a serious health risk. For information on carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning, visit the Health and Safety Executive website.
- Do check if you are eligible for support with your heating costs, or energy saving measures such as insulation or low energy light bulbs.
Don’t:
- Don’t use your oven to heat the house: It’s not designed for that and can be a serious fire risk.
- Don't store logs or other fuel close to log burners or other fires. Heat radiation can lead to them catching fire.
- Don't burn items on fires and log burners other than the logs/coal/etc. Burning plastic can lead to fires in your chimney.
- Don't dry clothes on portable heaters or close to open fires and log burners.
- Don't use heaters overnight or when you are asleep.