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Fire Safety and Prevention Advice

Fire safety in the home is extremely important - this webpage covers fire safety and prevention advice to assist you in maintaining a safe home.
Published: 12 June 2026

Fire safety in the home is extremely important and Blackpool Coastal Housing works hard to maintain the highest levels of safety in all our customers’ homes. This webpage covers some basic details that, when followed, will assist you in maintaining a safe home by helping you to:

  • Highlight and be aware of the causes of fire risks within your home
  • Know what to do to reduce or prevent these risks from fire
  • Regularly check smoke alarms and have a plan for escape in the event of a fire breaking out

If you would like to receive a free Home Fire Safety Check from Lancashire Fire and Rescue, or have a disability and need further advice regarding an escape plan, please contact them by calling 0800 1691125 or visit their website https://hfsc.lancsfirerescue.org.uk/.

General Home Fire Safety

Do:

  • Turn off appliances when not in use and not on standby
  • Put out cigarettes properly by using a glass or covered metal ashtray and double check before bed
  • Keep matches safely stored out of reach and sight of children
  • Use candles and incense sticks only in holders and on flat non-flammable surfaces
  • Be careful when cooking with oil and stay in the room
  • Close all internal doors when going to bed or leaving the house
  • Test smoke alarms monthly
  • Close doors at night or other times when you are sleeping

Do not:

  • Overload electrical sockets
  • Leave rechargeable items continually plugged in e.g. mobile phones, tablets, laptops, children’s toys
  • Smoke in bed
  • Leave lit candles unattended or near curtains or materials that can catch fire
  • Leave cooking unattended, especially where children are present
  • Overfill chip pans or throw water onto a chip pan fire
  • Block escape routes inside your home
  • Remove or tamper with items provided for your safety including smoke alarms, fire doors, emergency lighting etc
  • Keep or store flammable or explosive substances in your home including bottled gas, paraffin, petrol, thinners
Housing Block Safety

If your home is in a block, your building has been designed with fire safety in mind; the walls and doors between flats' stairs and corridors are specially designed to resist fire and stop the spread of smoke. 

All flats are fitted with fire doors.

Blocks are fitted with fire doors & self-closers to communal areas as well as intumescent strips (fire door safety seals) and cold smoke seals which, in the event of fire, will prevent the spread of smoke and flames.

For shared areas of a building, please refer to the Management of Communal Areas Policy for any additional requirements.

Your home should be fitted with a smoke alarm. If this is not the case, please contact us. 

Report any damage to fire doors or glass within your block as soon as possible by contacting our Repairs Team:

Evacuation - What to do if a fire breaks out in your flat

Do:

  • Leave the room immediately and close the door behind you
  • Alert any other people in the flat and ask them to leave the flat immediately
  • Leave the flat and when everyone is out close the front door
  • If you have to leave the building use the stairs only
  • Call the fire service dialling 999. It is your responsibility to contact 999

Do not:

  • Attempt to tackle the fire yourself
  • Use balconies which are not part of an escape route
  • Use lifts unless instructed to by the Fire Brigade
  • Return to your flat until told it is safe to do so by the Fire Brigade

 

Published: 12 June 2026

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