Christian Action Housing

Fire

The issue of fire safety is a major concern to all of us. You can limit the risk of fire by taking some basic precautions:

• Be careful when getting rid of cigarette ends. Make sure they are properly put out.
• Keep an eye on pans on the cooker and take care when cooking with hot oil.
• Turn off electrical sockets when you are not using them.
• If you are worried about your gas appliances and think that they may need their yearly service, contact our Repairs Team.

• If you have a smoke or heat detector that we have fitted, it will either be battery-powered or mains-powered with a battery back up. If the alarm beeps now and then, it means that the battery is running down and you should replace it straight away.
• These detectors save lives as they give you valuable early warning of fire and give you time to escape. You should never disable these detectors. You should test and clean the detectors regularly.
• If you do  not have a smoke detector fitted, do contact us as we may be able to fit ine for you.
• The doors that we fit in our new properties are fire­ resistant with self-closing mechanisms. This means that the closed door will contain a fire long enough for you to escape. Therefore, it is very important that these doors and door closers are not removed so that the fire-resistant door works properly. You should make sure all doors are closed at night.
• For further information on fire prevention, visit www.firekills.gov.uk

Gas

Gas heaters and boilers must be serviced regularly to make sure they are safe. We have a gas servicing contract with qualified gas engineers to do this and it is very important that you are able to arrange a convenient time for them to service your gas appliances when we contact you. If you smell gas you should:

• Turn off the gas at the meter
• Open all windows and doors
• Do not light any matches or have any other naked flames burning, including candles
• Do not turn any electrical switches on or off
• Check your cooker to see if you have left a gas ring on
• Check if any pilot lights have gone out
• Phone National Grid Gas on 0800 111 999 or our emergency number

Electricity

• Make sure you know how to switch off your mains electricity supply
• Do not overload electrical sockets
• Unplug electrical appliances such as televisions, DVD players etc. before you go to bed and when you go away.
• Never take any electrical appliances into the bathroom
• Avoid running electrical wires under carpets
• Make sure that all your plugs are fitted with the correct fuses
• Leave electrical repairs to a qualified electrician

General

• Do not use candles near curtains or anything that could catch fire easily
• Keep matches and flammables away from children and don't leave candles unattended
• Never leave cooking unattended, don't overfill chip pans or throw water on a fire in a chip pan
• Never leave clothes to dry near an unguarded fire or electric heater