Fire Risk Checks for a Vulnerable Person's Home

If you look after an older relative, a neighbour or someone with a disability, the single most useful thing you can do this week is walk round their home with a fire checklist in mind. People who live alone, have limited mobility or a condition that slows their reaction are at greater risk from fire, and the Northern Ireland Fire and Rescue Service reports that almost 70% of people who died in house fires over the last 10 years lived alone¹. Recognising that someone may need extra support is itself part of keeping them safe¹.

Start with the basics: a working smoke alarm they can hear and test, clear escape routes, and heating that is not sitting against furniture or clothing. Then check the appliances that cause the most trouble, including electric blankets, portable heaters and anything with a lithium-ion battery. Finally, book a free home fire safety visit, where firefighters will identify risks, give tailored advice, fit smoke alarms free of charge if needed and make a fire escape plan with you².

The fire risk checklist for a vulnerable person's home

Work through this list with the person, not for them where you can. The point is to spot what has changed since the last visit: a new heater, a blanket that has seen better days, a hallway that has filled with possessions.

1. Smoke alarm fitted, working and tested weekly. Make sure they have a smoke alarm they test weekly, that they know the obvious fire dangers in their home, and that they have a fire escape plan⁶.
2. Alarms they can actually hear. If the person is deaf or hard of hearing, they need additional ways of being made aware the alarm has activated, including vibrating pads and flashing strobe lights⁷. See our guide to smoke and CO alarms for deaf and hard of hearing people.
3. Escape routes clear. Look for an accumulation of possessions that restricts escape routes, one of the warning signs fire services ask carers to watch for⁸.
4. Cooking never left unattended. Cooking regularly being left unattended is another warning sign⁸. Our page on kitchen fires covers the practical fixes.
5. Heaters clear of anything that burns. Electric or gas heaters placed too close to materials that could catch fire, including furniture or clothing, are a high risk⁹.
6. No burn marks anywhere. Burn marks found within the home are a sign to take seriously⁸.
7. Smoking and drinking at home considered. People who smoke and drink at home are among those most at risk³. Our guide to smoking, matches and lighters sets out how to reduce it.
8. Bedtime routine in place. A Safe and Well visit covers bedtime checks and what to do if there is a fire¹⁰. Our bedtime fire safety checks list is a starting point.
9. Batteries and blankets checked. Go through the recall and damage checks in the sections below.

Fire services also ask carers to watch for alcohol dependency, mobility issues, and health reasons that mean the person is less able to react to or understand a situation⁸. None of these is a judgement on the person. They are the factors that decide how much support the household needs, and they are exactly what a home fire safety visit is designed to address.

Recalled heaters, blankets and dehumidifiers to check for

Electrical products fail in ways you cannot always see, which is why the Office for Product Safety and Standards publishes recall notices. Check the model numbers of anything that heats, warms or dries in the home against the current recalls.

Beyond recalls, check every electric blanket for the danger signs fire services list: scorch marks, fraying fabric, exposed elements, creasing or folding, soiling, damp patches, damaged or missing tie tapes, worn flex, loose connections, and old BEAB safety marks⁴. If your blanket or its flex shows any of these, have it checked or replaced⁴. Do not use a blanket showing signs of damage, as it could put you at risk of fire, and follow the manufacturer's instructions¹³.

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

E-bikes and e-scooters are increasingly common, and most are powered by lithium-ion batteries that can be charged in the home⁵. Many of the fires linked to them happen in homes while batteries are charging¹⁴. The batteries can pose a serious fire risk if they become damaged, faulty or are charged incorrectly¹⁴, and lithium-ion battery fires can spread rapidly and produce toxic smoke¹⁵.

The fire service advice is specific and worth following to the letter:

• Charge batteries while you are awake and alert, so that if a fire occurs you can respond quickly. Do not leave batteries to charge while you are asleep or away from the home⁵.
• Do not cover chargers or battery packs when charging, as this could lead to overheating or even a fire⁵.
• Avoid storing or charging e-bikes and e-scooters on escape routes or in communal areas of a multi-occupied building, because a fire there can affect people's ability to escape⁵.
• Do not charge an e-scooter where it could prevent you from safely leaving your home if a fire breaks out¹⁶.
• Check the battery regularly for signs of damage. A damaged battery can overheat and catch fire without warning, and if you suspect damage it should be replaced and not used or charged⁵.
• If a battery feels extremely hot to the touch while charging or in use, it may be defective and at risk of fire, so stop charging it immediately¹⁶.
• Connecting the wrong charger to a battery can pose serious fire risks, as not all batteries and chargers are safe when used together¹⁷.
• Many fires involve counterfeit electrical goods, and items that do not meet British or European standards pose a huge fire risk⁵.

If a fire does start, raise the alarm and call 999¹⁵. Never put yourself between a burning battery and your way out. Our guide to e-bikes and e-scooters covers storage and buying, and how to dispose of lithium batteries and vapes safely matters too: incorrect disposal of lithium-ion batteries in general household and recycling waste can lead to significant waste fires⁵.

Tools for carers: the Home Fire Safety Checker and a person-centred checklist

You do not have to be an expert to do this well. The London Fire Brigade publishes a Carers Guide to Home Fire Safety for formal carers such as domiciliary care workers, support workers and clinicians, and informal carers such as family members, friends and neighbours caring for someone in their own home¹⁸. It shows how to recognise people who are at risk of having a fire, identify key high risk factors, show what actions can reduce these risks, and describe what to do in the event of a fire¹⁸.

There is also a simple tool that can guide you around the home helping you spot fire risks, or the fire and rescue service can carry out a visit themselves if you are worried about someone you care for¹⁹. The Home Fire Safety Checker gives tailored advice for the home and arranges a visit if you are eligible²⁰.

For a more structured approach, a person-centred fire risk assessment checklist provides a form for an initial quick and easy check of vulnerable residents, which aids completion of a full assessment where one is required²¹. It can be used by family members, carers, and representatives of housing providers, care providers, local authorities, utility companies and businesses²¹. The assessment should consider whether the person's behaviour indicates signs of increased fire risk, such as unsafe smoking or cooking²¹. If a care plan exists, actions taken to mitigate risks should be noted in that plan²¹, so the next carer knows what has been done.

Where to get a free home fire safety visit

Every fire and rescue service in the UK offers some form of home fire safety visit, and for a vulnerable person it is free. If you or anyone you live with is a vulnerable person, get in touch and organise a free home fire safety visit². Your local fire and rescue service may offer one if you or someone you know may be particularly vulnerable to fire due to age, mobility or mental health².

During a visit, firefighters will identify fire risks in the home, provide tailored fire safety advice, fit smoke alarms free of charge if needed, and create a fire escape plan with you². In London the service is available 24/7²⁰. A Safe and Well visit covers cooking and smoking, heaters and heating, candles and fireplaces, detection systems, bedtime checks, what to do if there is a fire, and extra help and support¹⁰.

Priority for free checks is often given to vulnerable groups: elderly people, people who live alone, people with a disability or limiting condition, people with mental health conditions, lone parents and smokers²⁴. If the person you care for falls into any of these groups, say so when you call. Our guide to how fire and rescue services respond to a call explains what happens next.

Keeping the checks current through the year

A single visit is not the end of it. Fire risk changes with the seasons and with the person's health. During the winter, vulnerable people can be at a higher risk of a fire-related incident when trying to stay warm¹³, so heaters, blankets and hot water bottles deserve a fresh look each autumn. In hot weather, check in on vulnerable friends, family and neighbours²⁵, because the risks shift rather than disappear.

Build the checks into whatever routine already exists. When you change the clocks, test the alarms. When the heating goes on for the first time, check the heater's plug and cable. When a new electrical item arrives, check it against the recall lists before it is used. Our fire safety checklist for your home and product recalls pages give you a place to start each time.

If the person has a condition that may prevent or delay escape if there is a fire, they may need a specialist alarm system and advice⁷. Ask about this at the visit rather than guessing. And if the household includes someone who uses oxygen therapy or emollient creams, which can be flammable, tell the fire and rescue service so the plan accounts for it. Our guide to fire safety when someone uses oxygen therapy covers that in more detail.