Home fire safety checklist
Most of this is prevention rather than reaction — the escape plan only matters if the alarms and the habits before it are already in place.
17 items
Makes your own editable copy. No account needed.
The items
- Smoke alarms fitted on every level of the house×2
- Alarms tested monthly with the test buttonA monthly date that's easy to remember — the first of the month, or bin day — keeps it from being forgotten.
- Batteries or alarm units replaced on scheduleFollow the packaging — some are sealed ten-year units, some need an annual battery.
- Carbon monoxide alarm fitted near any gas appliance or open fire
- Escape route planned and walked through with everyone in the houseTwo ways out of every room where possible, and a plan for the one where there isn't.
- Keys kept where an escape route needs themNot the top of a wardrobe — a locked door with the key missing turns an escape route into a dead end.
- Everyone knows to get out, stay out, and call 999Not to go back in for anything, and not to stop and get dressed first.
- A meeting point outside agreed in advanceSo a headcount is possible in the street rather than everyone assuming someone else got the dog out.
- Fire blanket kept in the kitchenFor a pan fire — covers it rather than lifting it, and never carry a flaming pan outside.
- Chip pans and hot oil never left unattendedThe single most common cause of a house fire starting in the kitchen.
- Candles kept away from curtains, paper and anything else that burnsAnd never left burning in an empty room, however briefly.
- Electrical sockets checked for overloadingA four-way extension lead plugged into another one is the sort of thing that looks fine for years until it isn't.
- Portable heaters kept clear of curtains, sofas and drying laundry
- Chimney swept annually, if the fireplace is usedA build-up of soot is what actually catches, not the fire itself.
- Cigarettes properly extinguished, never in a binA cigarette that looks out can smoulder in a bin for hours before catching properly.
- Escape route checked again after any house move or renovationA new layout means the old escape route may not be the fastest one any more.
- Fire door checks, in a flat or a house in multiple occupationKept closed and never wedged open — it's doing a job even when nothing's happening.
Makes your own editable copy. No account needed.
Questions people ask
- How often should smoke alarms be tested?
- Once a month, with the test button, and the battery or unit replaced on whatever schedule the packaging gives — a silent alarm is worse than none, since it gives false confidence.
- What should I do if a fire actually starts?
- Get everyone out, close doors behind you to slow it down, and call 999 from outside. Never go back in for belongings.
- Do I need a fire extinguisher at home?
- A fire blanket in the kitchen is more useful for most household fires than an extinguisher, and needs far less training to use correctly.