Fire Safety

One of the main concerns people have in the event of a fire is whether to ‘stay put’ or to ‘evacuate’. Every building is different which is why we have a customised fire action notice in your communal area to guide you as to what action to take. Here is a quick overview of the two actions to take.

Staying put (only stay put if you feel safe to do so)

Most Council buildings are ‘purpose built’. This means that the walls and floors are built from materials such as concrete or brick which will contain a fire for a minimum of 1 hour. Residents of flats above, below and beside a flat where there is a fire, should be safe to ‘stay put’ for 1 hour. This allows the fire brigade time to get to the building and tackle the fire without other residents being exposed to the danger.

It is much quicker for them to do this if the stairwells are not being used by people trying to leave the building.

If you can see fire or smoke, leave the building taking family with you and closing the front door behind you.

Evacuating

In the event of a fire in your flat, you should leave the building immediately taking family members with you and closing the front door behind them.

Follow the emergency evacuation plan which includes taking stairs instead of the lift and waiting at the designated safe area for the fire brigade.

 There is a fire action notice placed in the communal areas of all of our blocks which explains the evacuation plan for your building. If this information is missing or you are not sure what the correct plan is, please call 0208 8726 6101.