Fire safety

Fire doors create a barrier from fire and toxic cold smoke and prevent it from travelling around a building. This means they keep damage caused by smoke restricted to a small area allowing time for safe evacuation, stay-put and safe access for emergency services.

In a block of flats, you will find fire and smoke control doors on the stairwells, the corridors, and the flats’ front doors. You will also see them protecting areas where there’s a risk of combustion, such as bin storage or mains electricity service cupboards, and occasionally inside flats.

Your property’s front door is an important fire door and it is vital that it works properly in the even that a fire breaks out. You should check the door regularly to make sure:

• The self-closing device has not been tampered with
• Flat entrance doors are always fully closed when not in use
• Smoke seals are properly fitted
• The door is free from damage

You must not make any alterations to the door. You should report any fire door damage to a member of the Housing Team.

We have different evacuation policies in place on different sites. Some sites follow a delayed evacuation policy, and others follow a full evacuation policy.

Please make yourself aware of the evacuation policy within your site. ‘Fire action’ notices throughout the building explain what to do if you hear the fire alarm. If you can’t see this or have any doubts about what it says, you can email or speak to a member of the Housing Team.

• A working smoke alarm will alert you to the fire. If you have any impairment that may affect your ability to hear or respond to an audible alarm, you should inform your Housing Manager.
• Do not open doors looking for the source of the fire.
• Alert everyone else inside and leave the property, closing the front door behind you.
• Don’t try to save personal items. Your life is more important.
• Use only designated escape routes, not lifts. If you have mobility problems that may affect your use of the stairs, you should inform your Housing Manager.
• Once you are out of the building and in a safe location, dial 999 and ask for the fire service.
• Never go back into the building until you have been told it is safe to do so.

Fire safety guidance will be provided to all residents annually and to new residents when you move into a Brunelcare property.

People who are vulnerable or have reduced mobility may need assistance to the fire assembly point or other safe places if required. The level of assistance will be assessed in a Personal Emergency Evacuation Plan (PEEP) for each premises. PEEPs are reviewed annually or sooner if your circumstances change. A PEEP will also be completed when a tenant moves in.

As your landlord, Brunelcare will also ensure that all fire alarm and life safety systems are examined and serviced by our specialist contractor.

Our property compliance team take a proactive approach to making sure ensuring that fire safety systems are maintained, inspected and repaired. The team also welcomes your support in reporting any issues and we want to encourage a ‘reporting culture’ among our residents.

If you witness damage to fire doors, obstructions to escape routes, faults on the fire alarm panels, or any issues regarding fire safety, please report them to the Customer Service team without delay.

• Call: 0117 914 4257
• Email: [email protected].
• You can also discuss any issues with a member of the Housing Team who will pass on the message.