Our Fire Safety Policy

Fire safety is a fundamental part of keeping you safe. Our Fire Safety Policy explains how we meet our legal responsibilities to prevent, manage and reduce fire risk in the homes and buildings we own or manage. It sets out our approach to fire risk assessment, maintenance of fire safety measures, and working with residents to protect lives and property.

Fire Safety

The building in which you live has been designed with safety in mind, but taking a few extra minutes to think about fire safety is time well spent. Careful planning can keep you and your household safe.

What Is Estuary Doing To Keep My Home Safe?

We carry out regular inspections of all communal areas to identify any fire risks. We also undertake regular fire risk assessments in our blocks of flats. 

What Should I Do To Keep My Home Safe?

Knowing how to reduce the risk of fire, and what to do in the case of fire, will help keep you safe.

  • Make sure your smoke alarms work by testing them regularly.
  • Keeping communal areas clear of items including prams and bikes. In the event of a fire, you will need to use these routes to leave the building, and items left in the corridors and stairwells could prevent you from safe evacuation. If you live in a house or bungalow then you should try and keep your main exit routes clear.
  • Plan your escape route
  • Keeping your balconies clear of anything which could fuel a fire, for example bamboo screening
  • Do not have barbecues or fireworks on your balcony. If you have a private garden plan a safe place to use away from the building, any fences or trees.
  • Make sure your front door is in good condition, has a door closer fitted, and that it is closing properly. Please contact us if the door is damaged, the smoke seals are missing, the closer is defective or missing, or the door is not fully closing into the frame.
  • If you notice anything that could affect the safety of yourself, your family or your neighbours please contact us urgently.

Looking to have a barbecue, bonfire or fireworks?

What Should I Do If There's a Fire?

If You Live In A Purpose Built Block Of Flats

It's often safer to stay where you are if the fire isn’t in your flat and your flat isn’t affected by smoke. Call 999 and let the Fire Brigade know where you are. If possible wait by a window.     

If the fire is in your flat, take the normal way out but don’t use the lift. Close doors behind you so that smoke can’t fill the escape route and call 999 as soon as it’s safe to do so.

Your Responsibilities

  • Please do not leave any rubbish or bulky items outside your flat
  • Please dispose of all rubbish using the rubbish chutes or bin areas
  • If you have difficulty in removing items please contact your housing officer
  • If you know of any person leaving rubbish out please notify your housing officer
  • Report any fly tipping
  • Do not remove internal doors inside your property
  • If you witness any person causing damage to communal doors and windows please report this immediately to the Police and our Repairs Team
  • Never prop or wedge open any doors in the communal areas or any self closing door in your home.

If you have any information relating to people who endanger the lives of you and your neighbours through their irresponsible actions, please contact the Housing Team on 0300 304 5000

 

We will take action against any person who:

  • Deliberately leaves rubbish and bulky items outside their homes
  • Does not dispose of their rubbish in the appropriate locations
  • Is found guilty of endangering the lives of residents through deliberate actions that may cause damage.

 

If you have any concerns about fire safety, or would like to know more, please contact us on 0300 304 5000.

Be Carbon Monoxide Aware

Never use fuel-burning devices (e.g., disposable barbeques, camping stoves, camping heaters, lanterns, and charcoal grills) inside a tent. They give off fumes for hours and hours after you have used them - levels high enough to result in CO poisoning. 

To avoid hazardous CO exposures, fuel-burning equipment should never be used inside a tent, camper, or other enclosed shelter. 

Fire Doors

Gunfire are our approved contractor to carry out door surveys for 2024/2025. They will be contacting you shortly to book your door survey appointment. 

Communal doors will now be inspected quarterly, and flat entrance doors inspected yearly. Please provide Gunfire with access to your entrance door when requested

They have provided us with the following information about fire doors, which are a really important element of your fire safety strategy. Used correctly, they stop fires from spreading through a building, giving people time to escape and the fire service time to attend and potentially save your home.

Why Do You Need a Fire Door?

Fire doors are:

  • Specifically designed to withstand fire for up to 30 minutes.
  • A legal requirement for flats which open onto communal areas shared with other residents. This is to make sure escape routes are protected if a fire breaks out.
  • Designed to automatically close behind you in the event of fire, holding flames back and stopping the spread of the fire and toxic smoke into escape routes, corridors, and other flats in your building. 

Checking Your Fire Door

If you would like to check over your fire door, take the look at this list:

  • Check the gaps around the top and sides of the door are consistently less than 4mm when the door’s closed. The gap under the door can be slightly larger (up to 8mm), but it does depend on the door. Ideally, you should not see light under the door.
  • Look for any seals around the door or frame. Check they’re intact with no sign of damage.
  • Check all hinges are firmly fixed (three or more of them), with no missing or broken screws. Check the door closes firmly onto the latch without sticking on the floor or the frame. A fire door only works when it’s closed. A fire door is completely useless if it’s wedged open or can’t close fully.

If you feel your fire door doesn't meet these points, please contact us right away.