preventing emergencies


Is your a


FIREtrap?


Paul robertsonwarnsflatownersnot to be complacent about fire risks


Flatownersmay be lulled into afalse senseofsecuritythattheir blockhas been thesubject of afire risk assessmentwhile forgetting to take afew basicprecautions to protect


protect themselves and their families. Thefreeholderofyourblock has a


number of legal obligations as far as health andsafetyisconcerned.These include carrying outafire risk assessment that needstobeperiodicallyreviewed. As aresultofthisanumberofprotective measuresmay be in place for your block. In addition, theelectrics should have been inspectedinthe communal areasand any communal boilers checked for gas safety. However,what flatownersmay notalways consider is that all of this only applies to the communal partsofthe block. Responsibility for fire safety in individual flats is downto you. If you rent out your flat, then no doubt youare awarethatyou need an annual gas certificate andregular electrical inspections. In contrast,owner occupiersare notsubject to any of this legislation and as a resultmany flat owners put themselves at unnecessary risk. Youare twiceaslikelytodie fromafire if you


don’thaveaworkingsmokealarm.Installing oneisthe easiestwaytoprotect your family, even if a systemis fitted in the communal areas of your block - but do remember to test thedeviceand changethe batteryregularly. If it is difficult for you to fit an alarmyourself, contact your local fire and rescue servicewho will normallybehappy to help you. (You can find your local number atwww.gov.uk/fire- rescue-services )Itisparticularlyimportant inablock of flats to ensure your family knows exactlywhat to do if a fire is discovered. In larger blocks thismaymean remaining in your flatandawaiting rescue by theemergency services.Beaware of theevacuationplanif your blockhas oneinplace,makesureyou knowhowto quicklyunlock any doors and that the keys are accessible. It is alsoimportant not to replaceorremovefire doorsinyourflat.They were initiallyinstalled foryourprotectionand removing themcouldplace your family at risk. If in doubt ask yourmanaging agent as this will probably have beenconsidered by the fire risk assessment for the block. Outside your flat, keeping communal areas


clearisvital to ensure thesafeevacuation of your block. Itemsstoredinthese areas couldcause an additionalfire risk or block evacuation routes thus endangeringlife. Always keep theseareas clearand if your


Flat Living Issue 13, Winter HOME


Installa smokealarm


–itcould save your life


neighbours areputting youatriskinvolve your managing agents. Thesedays,most of us have cordless phones


whichare very convenient butwon’t work if thepower fails.Whynot invest in acabled phonewhich will continue to work in the eventthatthe powerisdisrupted andallow you to call for help. Inspection andregular maintenanceofgas


appliances andelectrics arenot astrictlegal requirement for owner occupied flats and as a result canoften be overlooked.However,itis worthconsidering that in rented flats thelegal requirements forthese regularinspections were putinplace to save lives. By nottaking thesameactions in an owneroccupied property it is youand your family that you areplacing at risk ,aswellasyourneighbours should an incident occur.


Upto60%offlat owners do not have contents insurance


Amazingly, up to 60%offlat owners do not


have contents insuranceinplace,possibly becauselivinginalargerbuilding lullsthem into a false sense of security. A basic contents policymayonlycost afew pounds perweek yetmost flatownersfailtosecurethisbasic insuranceprotection. Thesad fact is that most of these flats owners would not have the financialmeans to replace their contents andafire couldcausemajordamagetotheir belongings. The Fire Safety Order 2005 has resulted in a


significantstepforwardtoensuringfire safety andawareness of thedangers posed by fires in flats.Thisisespeciallytrueinsmaller blocks andolder convertedhouseswhere firesafety mayhavebeenoverlooked. Legalobligations on landlords have ensured greater safety for tenantsand it is ironic that thehighest risk fromfires is nowinflatsinowner occupation. With morethantwo millionowner occupied flats in theUKthis should be a real concern andthere is astrongargumentfor acampaign for greater awareness or legislation.●


PaulrobertsonismanagingdirectorofMidwayInsurance ServicesLimited tel 0845 3702848 email paul@midway.co.uk websitewww.midway.co.uk


57


door fact Fire Anyonelivinginaflatwhoneeds


to replacetheir frontdoor is likely tobe askedtouseanFD30.Thisisadoorthat canwithstandafireformorethan30minutes.


Whenchoosingafiredoorpickonethat isBWF certifiedasitwillhavebeentestedproperly andwillbemarkedcorrectly.Thefire


service recommendsSafelincswhich offersasimpleonlinefiredoor


configuratorthattakesyoustepby stepthroughtheprocess. You canchooseyour size, finish, andarangeof different glazingoptionsontheir websiteatwww. safelincs.co.uk


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