Compartmentalisation
Your building has walls and floors designed to resist fire.
Do not allow anyone to make major structural changes to the walls or floors in your home.
Fire alarms in your home
Your fire alarms are vital to keeping you safe if a fire occurs.
Your alarms will detect the presence of heat or smoke and will sound loudly to let you know that you need to leave your home.
The council will provide a heat alarm in your kitchen and a smoke alarm in your hallway.
You should test your smoke alarms every month, using the 'test' button to make sure it works, and report any problems to the council on 0800 023 4499.
Fire doors in your home
All doors within your home will provide some level of protection against fire, even if they are not designated fire doors.
Close your doors at night, particularly your kitchen and living room doors - this will hold back a fire, if one happens, and assist your escape.
Do not alter your front entrance door or frame in any way. It is under a warranty and doing this will affect its ability to contain fire and smoke.
It is critical that your front entrance door has a self-closing device. Please inform the council as soon as possible if this is missing or does not work so that we can repair it.
Fire doors in the communal areas
Fire doors in the communal areas protect staircases and other escape routes from smoke. Do not wedge these doors open.
If the door becomes faulty, report it to the council so that we can repair it.
Fire evacuation alert systems
We are fitting new fire evacuation alert systems to some of our blocks.
We will write to you separately if we add these to where you live.
Our dedicated Fire Safety Team has created an informative video on the new fire evacuation alert systems.
Smoke ventilation
In many council owned buildings, there are windows or openings that are designed to keep escape routes clear of smoke.
These can be used by fire-fighters during a fire to keep escape routes clear.
Do not interfere with this equipment, it can be critical to keeping you, your family, your neighbours, and fire-fighters safe.
Do not wedge anything into these vents or block them up, the draught is intended.
Security gates
Do not install locks or security gates on your front entrance door.
If your home has a security gate installed, we strongly recommend that you remove it for the safety of you and your family.
If you choose not to remove a security gate, you should make sure that you leave it unlocked, particularly when you and your family are home, as it could lead to you becoming trapped in your home in case of fire.
Access and facilities for London Fire Brigade (LFB)
It is vital that London Fire Brigade can quickly get to any fire in or around your block.
Do not block:
- hydrants (which are coloured yellow)
- dry riser outlets or inlets
- vehicle access routes