Fire safety in the home from Tempest Restoration

Fire safety in the home

How to make your home safe from the danger of fire

Most of us have smoke alarms in our properties nowadays. They have become part of the furniture, offering peace of mind should a fire take hold of your property whilst you're inside it. According to the government, in 2015, over 200 people died in fires in the home. You’re at least 7 times more likely to die in a fire in the home if there are no working smoke alarms.

Many modern houses now have smoke alarms that are hardwired to the mains, offering all year round protection. For the rest of us, smoke alarms are battery powered. Either way, it is recommended that you check your smoke alarms every month to make sure that they work. It only takes a moment to test and gives your family and people you care about a better chance of surviving a fire. Perhaps you could consider adding it to your routine when you clean your household?

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Fire restoration services

Buying a smoke alarm could help save your home and the lives of you and your family. Every year the Fire and Rescue Service is called to over 600,000 fires which result in over 800 deaths and over 17,000 injuries. About 50,000 (140 a day) of these are in the home and kill nearly 500 and injure over 11,000, many which could have been prevented if people had an early warning and were able to get out in time. In fact you are twice as likely to die in a house fire that has no smoke alarm than a house that does.

Follow these simple steps to make sure that your home safe:

  1. Test your smoke alarms by pressing their buttons once a month and change their batteries once a year if they have removable batteries.
  2. If an alarm doesn’t beep when you test it, replace the battery or replace the alarm.

You should also make sure:

  • there’s at least one smoke alarm on each floor of your property
  • you never remove the batteries in your smoke alarms unless you’re replacing them
  • everyone in your home knows what to do in a fire and knows your escape route - get out, stay out and call 999

Fire safety information

Find out how to keep you and your family safe from fire inside and outside your home with our fire advice safety leaflets. Includes advice for children and parents, disabled people and students as well as information about seasonal fire safety.

For tenants

If you’re a tenant in rented accommodation, your landlord is responsible for making sure there are working smoke alarms on every level of your home at the start of your tenancy.

However, during your tenancy you are responsible for testing your smoke alarm monthly and replacing the batteries where necessary.

Tempest Restoration 24/7 service

FAQs

A. We aim to be on the scene as soon as we can. With technicians located acrosss the UK, you are never too far away from the expert help of Tempest Restoration. The longer you delay after your property has been affected by fire, the worse the damage will be. From the moment of arrival on site, we will begin the decontamination process. We work around the clock to ensure that fire damage and your losses are kept to a minimum. We aim to safely return your business to normal, as quickly as possible.

A. Damage caused by fire may look superficial but its the effects on materials that are not visible that can have lasting consequences to health and to the structure of a building. Potential hazards include asbestos and lead among others. Your home is full of porous materials and smoke can penetrate these materials beyond what is viewable by the naked eye. Our bespoke equipment and understanding of the uniqueness of each fire gives us the ability to detect fire damage and deal with it safely and effectively. Hired machines in the hands of inexperienced operators will cost unnecessary time and money in the long term. We understand the urgency of returning your home to its pre incident state and we operate quickly and efficiently to do so for you.

A. From your point of view, the quicker the process starts, the quicker you can be back in your home. Restoration work following a fire can be lengthy, it would be wrong to assume its a quick fix. Secondary damage caused by fire begins within minutes but can be minimised if dealt with promptly by a professional. During a fire, chemical reactions produce chemicals that are toxic and potentially fatal. During the time that the fire services are extinguishing the flames, the use of water (although required for putting out the fire) can unfortunately cause further structural damage and additional hazards. The contaminated area needs to be neutralised and rendered safe to prevent further damage and degradation. Potentially, every minute is costing you money.

A. During the combustion of a fire, chemical changes occur and environmental pollutants are created, many of which are harmful to human health. This seems fairly straight forward but natural and synthetic materials in your home produce a vast array of chemicals, depending on their makeup. Here at Tempest, we thoroughly assess the entire area using state-of-the-art testing equipment to detect any traces of hazardous substances.

A. Of paramount importance and priority is safety. Fire can, however big or small, cause structural damage to your home. Even past the point of the emergency services approving the site safe for entry, you should still proceed with caution. Every fire is different and unique. The location of a fire in your home can cause a chain reaction to other rooms, and sometimes it can be contained, either way the process of restoration is variable depending on many different factors. We assess each site to ascertain the extent of the damage and the precise actions required. We undertake a comprehensive risk assessment and survey of the property along with safety checks of power supplies to isolate any further damage. Ventilation of the home then removes trace of odour. Contents are assessed for renovation/removal and damaged surfaces are decontaminated and cleaned, neutralising odours.

A. During a fire the heat produced can reach thousands of degrees. The corrosive smoke produced is forced into every space and becomes trapped in porous materials, most surfaces will almost certainly suffer corrosion. Combustion will create chemical products that will be toxic long after fire is extinguished. During the fire, fumes and chemicals produced such as carbon monoxide are potentially fatal. It is essential that your home is decontaminated by a professional following a fire, you could be ricking your health if you don't.

A. Yes. A fire produces chemical residues during combustion. The combustion process releases harmful chemicals into the environment. In older buildings materials such as asbestos and mercury have fatal side effects when subjected to fire. These chemicals penetrate porous materials and surfaces within the building itself. Smoke particles can penetrate some places you probably didn't think of, such as your heating system. If left, they can remain for months in the atmosphere which can result in lung irritation and respiratory problems, a major reason for having a professional undertake the restoration work.

A. Given that each fire is individual and unique based on many different factors including location, time and combustibles, the damage caused and cost to restore is also variable. In order to limit these costs, it is essential that fire damage remediation commences as quickly as possible. The secondary damage caused to properties begins following the fire being extinguished and will cause costs to escalate if not stopped. Our swift response teams located across the UK can be on site speedily and act quickly and efficiently to ensure your losses are kept to a minimum and your home can be back to normal in a short space of time.

A. Our technicians are trained to the highest standards and are equipped to decontaminate fire and soot-damaged properties. We have been restoring, renovating and repairing domestic and commercial premises for over many years and have served hundreds of customers in across the UK, helping them get back to normal. We are trusted providers to many insurance companies who come highly recommend.

A. We operate across the UK with technicians available in major towns and cities. Our head office is based in Swaffham, Norfolk where we undertake all our training.

Tempest Restoration

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Unit 3 Jack Boddy Way Swaffham, Norfolk PE37 7HJ

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Phone: 0845 052 4522
General enquiries: info@tempestrestoration.co.uk

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Registered office: 19 King Street, Kings Lynn, Norfolk, PE30 1HB

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