Fire safety for sweet dreams
Simple checks before you head for bed
About a third of all fires we attend are at night. So before you go to bed, it's really important to make some simple checks. These will only add a couple of minutes to your day, but will significantly reduce your risk of a fire.
A good routine can save your life – but an early warning is important too
We worry more about fires at night as you are likely to be sleeping, so get less warning to escape. That's why it's really important to have working smoke or heat alarms in every room where a fire could start. Your smoke alarms should wake you if a fire does break out, but you can further reduce your risk by carrying out these simple checks before you go to bed.
Check your home's safe using our simple tool
It only takes a few minutes to check your home and get tailored advice for your family.
The firefighter's bedtime checklist
- Close all your internal doors to prevent smoke spreading if a fire starts.
- Turn off and unplug electrical appliances unless they are designed to be left on – like your fridge or freezer.
- Don’t leave the washing machine, tumble dryer or dishwasher on overnight and unattended.
- Don’t leave mobile phones, tablets or e-cigarettes charging overnight.
- Check that your hob and oven switches are all off.
- Turn heaters off, rake out fires and put a fire guard in place.
- Put candles, incense sticks and oil burners out and never leave them unattended or burning when you are asleep.
- Make sure cigarettes are completely out – wet them to be sure.
- Never smoke in bed – it's best to quit, but if you can't, swap for an e-cigarette.
- Make sure escape routes are clear of anything that may slow your escape down.
- Keep door and window keys where everyone you live with can find them.
- If you or anyone else in the home has mobility issues, ensure mobility aids and methods of calling for help (like emergency pendants) are close to hand in case help is needed to assist with an escape.
If you smoke, never smoke in bed, and make sure all cigarettes are completely out – it's best to wet them.
Should everyone do bed-time fire safety checks?
Absolutely, yes. If you – or someone you care for – might not quickly detect or escape from a fire, it's particularly important to take every action you can to prevent a fire from happening. Prevention is the very best way to protect yourself and the people you care for from fire.
Did you know?
We can visit you and your loved ones at home to help you work out your best bed-time routine and escape plan.
It's all part of what we call a home fire safety visit. It's a free service, that you can find out more about here. If you need them, we'll even fit free smoke alarms.
Book your home fire safety visit