In 2006 there were 55,800 fires in UK homes, resulting in 295 fatal casualties. But there is a lot that families can do to prevent these tragedies. Here's our child safety guide on fire, for parents who like to be sure of their children's safety at all times.

Fires in the home

Everyone is aware that fires can start in the home, and lead to devastating results. Below are a few tips to help you prevent such events. If you're concerned about any of them, or want to secure your family even more, you can request a free home safety visit (http://www.fire.gov.uk/Home+safety/IsYourHomeSafe/FreeHomeSafetyCheck.htm) from your local fire service.

Get a smoke alarm

This is our top tip. A smoke alarm will detect smoke early on, alerting you and your family to the fire and giving you time to escape. Fit an alarm for every level of your home and don’t put alarms in kitchens and bathrooms where they will get set off by steam and smoke. Test the batteries once a week and never remove the batteries. Instead, get an alarm with a “hush” button that will allow you to silence it straight away if it goes off accidentally.

Cooking fires

Cooking fires are one of the most common forms of house fire, but they can be avoided with a little care and diligence.

• Pay attention while you are cooking and turn the heat off under pans if you are called out of the kitchen
• Keep matches, saucepan handles and other fire hazards out of the reach of children
• Be especially careful when cooking with hot oil, such as in a chip pan
• Don’t put oven gloves, tea towels or anything else down on a hot cooker
• Clean your grill to avoid fat building up and presenting a fire risk

Electrical fires

Electrical fires are often caused by inattention, poor maintenance, or overloading of sockets. Here are a few ways to prevent such fires:

• Check for frayed or damaged electrical leads, badly wired plugs and overloaded sockets
• Don’t let leads trail across the floor or over the edge of a cooker
• Don’t put metal or clothing in a microwave
• Water and electricity don’t mix – ditch the leaky kettle and don’t put vases on top of electrical appliances
• Maintain all electrical appliances in good order and keep hot appliances away from curtains and furnishings
• Be especially careful of electrical heaters and never use them to dry clothes
• Turn off electrical appliances that don’t need to be left on at night

Other tips

• Candles – put them in a proper holder on a heat resistant surface out of reach of children and snuff them out when you leave the room
• Cigarettes – put them out properly and dispose of them in an ashtray not a bin; never smoke in bed
• Keep matches, lighters and other dangerous items out of the reach of children

Dealing with a fire

Make an escape plan in advance so that everyone knows what to do in the unlikely event of a fire. Don’t attempt to put the fire out yourself. Instead, get out of the house and ring 999. For more information on fire safety and prevention, go to www.firekills.gov.uk

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