Fire Safety Checklist for Your Home

Most house fires are preventable, and the things that prevent them are small and cheap: a smoke alarm that works, an appliance that has not been recalled, a blanket that is not frayed, a battery that is not charged overnight under the stairs. The first step is a free online home fire safety check, which walks you round your own home and flags the risks room by room¹. If you would rather have someone look with you, contact your local fire and rescue service for a free home fire safety visit².

The second step is to know what is in your home and whether it is safe. Check your appliances against the Office for Product Safety and Standards recall list, and register new ones so the maker can warn you if something goes wrong³. Check electric blankets for scorch marks, fraying fabric and exposed wires before the cold weather arrives⁵. Charge e-bike and e-scooter batteries while you are awake and at home, never overnight⁶.

The third step is a plan. Everyone in the house should know how to get out, where to meet, and to call 999 from outside. Smoke is poisonous and can kill you, so the plan is about speed, not belongings⁷.

Your home fire safety checklist

Start with the free tools. The Home Fire Safety Checker is an online tool that guides you around your home and helps you spot fire risks². The Safelincs online home fire safety check asks questions about your home and lifestyle, asks you to look in different rooms, highlights potential fire risks, may recommend booking a home safety visit, and gives you a personalised action plan to download and print¹¹. Either route gets you to the same place: a list of what to fix, in your house, this week.

Then work through the basics. A household emergency kit should include a suitable fire extinguisher, smoke alarms and a carbon monoxide alarm that are fitted and tested, and you should know how to shut off the mains water at the stopcock, the mains gas and the mains electricity at the fuse box¹². Knowing where those three shut-offs are, before you need them, is part of fire safety as much as escape is.

• Smoke alarms: fitted, tested and working on every level of the home¹²
• Carbon monoxide alarm: fitted wherever there is a fuel-burning appliance¹³
• Fire extinguisher or fire blanket: have a suitable fire extinguisher¹²
• Stopcock, gas valve and fuse box: you know where they are and how to turn them off¹²
• Emergency contacts list: written down and known to everyone¹²
• Escape plan: everyone knows two ways out and where to meet¹⁴

If you would rather have a professional eye, contact your local fire and rescue service for a free home fire safety visit². Eligibility and booking routes vary by service: some ask you to complete an online form, others use the Home Fire Safety Checker to arrange a visit if you are eligible². Carers and support workers can also use the Home Fire Safety Checker or request an in-person visit for the person they care for².

Check your appliances against current recalls

Recalls are the quietest fire risk in the home, because a recalled appliance looks and works perfectly until it does not. The most important thing you can do is regularly check whether your appliances have been recalled, using the Government's product recall site, the manufacturer's website or Electrical Safety First's recall register⁹. Electrical Safety First's product checker lists electrical products that have been recalled since 2007⁹. Register your appliances when you buy them so that you can be notified if your product is recalled⁴.

Recent recalls show the range of products involved:

The fire alarm recall matters most because it affects the very system meant to warn you. Check the GOV.UK recall notice for the affected batch and the phased replacement programme¹⁶.

For heaters, the advice is simple: check that your heater isn't on a recall list before you rely on it through the winter¹⁷. For white goods, check the Government's product recall site, the manufacturer's website or Electrical Safety First's register⁹. For anything electrical, the Office for Product Safety and Standards alerts and recalls page is the official starting point³.

Electric blankets: get them checked before winter

An electric blanket that has been folded in a cupboard since March is the classic winter fire risk. Check yours before the first cold night. North Wales Fire and Rescue Service advises checking for scorch marks or burns, fraying fabric or exposed wires, damp or water damage, and mould or discolouration before use⁵. Electrical Safety First adds creasing or folding, soiling, damp patches, damaged or missing tie tapes, worn flex and loose connections to the list¹⁸. If your blanket or its flex shows any of these danger signs, have it checked or replaced¹⁹.

Older blankets may carry an old BEAB safety mark, which is a sign to have the blanket checked or replaced¹⁹. Always check electrical blankets regularly for wear²⁰. And share the knowledge: check the children's chargers and make sure everyone in the house knows how to use an electric blanket safely²¹.

Free testing is available in many areas. Oxfordshire Fire and Rescue Service, for example, held free safety checks for electric blankets, heated throws and heat pads at ten locations between 21 September and 9 October 2026²². Check your own fire and rescue service's website for local dates, and if none are running, follow the inspection list yourself.

Safe charging for e-bikes, e-scooters and other lithium-ion batteries

E-bikes and e-scooters are powered by lithium-ion batteries that are charged in the home, and a damaged or overcharged battery can overheat and catch fire without warning⁶. The fire and rescue service advice is direct: buy e-bikes, e-scooters, chargers and batteries from reputable retailers, and do not overcharge your battery, checking the manufacturer's instructions for charge times⁶. Avoid charging the battery overnight or unattended, as this could pose a potential fire risk²³.

Where you charge matters as much as how. Avoid storing or charging e-bikes and e-scooters on escape routes or in communal areas of a multi-occupied building, because if there is a fire it can affect people's ability to escape⁶. Check your battery regularly for signs of damage; if you suspect it is damaged, it should be replaced and should not be used or charged⁶. Familiarise yourself with the location of fire extinguishers in your home and make sure they are suitable for electrical fires²³.

The same principles apply to any lithium-ion device: phone chargers, power banks, cordless tool batteries and toys. Charge on a hard, non-flammable surface, away from soft furnishings and escape routes, and unplug when the charge is complete.

Your home fire action plan: how everyone gets out

A plan is not a document, it is a conversation. Make sure everyone in your home knows about the fire: shout, get everyone together⁷. Remember that smoke is poisonous and can kill you, so the priority is to get out, not to gather belongings⁷. In an emergency always call 999¹⁰.

Work out two ways out of every room, especially upstairs, and a meeting point outside the front of the house. Practise it once with everyone at home, including children and anyone who would need help to get out. If you live in a flat, the plan is different: your building's escape routes and the advice not to use lifts matter, and you should follow your building's fire procedure.

• Shout and gather: make sure everyone knows about the fire⁷
• Get out by the nearest safe route: keep calm and act quickly, get everyone out as soon as possible⁷
• Meet at the agreed point: so you can tell the fire service if anyone is missing
• Call 999: get out, stay out and call 999¹⁰
• Stay out: never go back inside for anything

At bedtime, run a short check: cooker off, candles and cigarettes out, heaters clear, and doors closed where it is safe to do so¹⁰. If you cannot get out, get to a room with a window, close the door and call 999, and if you can, seal the gap under the door.

Where to get help

Contact your local fire and rescue service to ask for a free home fire safety visit, or use the online checker to see whether you are eligible². If you care for someone who is older, disabled or living with dementia, use online resources such as the Home Fire Safety Checker, or contact the service to request an in-person Home Fire Safety Visit².

For product safety, the Office for Product Safety and Standards alerts and recalls page is the official list³. For electrical products specifically, Electrical Safety First's product checker covers recalls since 2007²⁴. If you are unsure whether an appliance is safe, stop using it and check before you plug it in again.