Free Home Fire Safety Visits From Your Fire Service

Every fire and rescue service in the UK offers a free home fire safety visit. A firefighter or community safety officer comes to your home, checks your fire risks, fits free smoke alarms if you need them, and helps you plan how to escape if a fire starts. It costs nothing: fill in the Home Fire Safety Checker and you will be given tailored advice for your home, with a visit arranged if you are eligible¹. In Scotland, the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service offers free fire safety visits to everyone in Scotland².

The quickest way in is usually the online Home Fire Safety Check, which takes around 15 minutes and gives you tailored advice you can download and keep³. If it identifies your household as higher risk, it refers you for a full in-person visit⁴. If you already know you want someone to come out, you can book directly by phone or text, and the routes differ between England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

This page explains who can get a visit, what happens during one, how to book in each nation, and what to do if you are worried about a visitor or cannot get online.

Every fire service offers free home fire safety visits

Home fire safety visits are a core part of what fire and rescue services do, not an extra or a favour. London Fire Brigade directs people to its Home Fire Safety Checker first, which assesses the level of risk in a household through a series of questions, gives tailored advice, and arranges a visit if you are eligible¹. The Brigade has visited nearly 90,000 Londoners to provide personalised home fire safety advice, many of them vulnerable, and states that community safety advice and prevention messages have seen a reduction in the demand for its services¹⁰. In other words, the visits work, which is why every service keeps offering them.

The Welsh Government's guidance is the same in principle: fire and rescue services offer a home safety visit to those who need it, and a visit includes free home safety advice and equipment, including smoke alarms and carbon monoxide alarms if needed¹¹. In Northern Ireland, the guidance from nidirect is that if you are concerned about fire safety in your home, you can ask for a free home fire safety check, which is a visit to your home to provide advice on how to stay safe from fire¹².

The reason the services push these visits so hard is the pattern they see in fatal fires. The Northern Ireland Fire and Rescue Service reported that 2025 was its highest year of house fire fatalities in a quarter of a century, with 16 losses of life, the highest number since 1999⁸. A third of those incidents did not have working smoke alarms, and 75% of the fatalities were people who lived alone⁸. That is why the services want to get into homes before a fire happens, and why they particularly want to reach people who live alone.

Who can get a free visit

The short answer is anyone can ask, but in-person visits are prioritised for people at higher risk. The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service carries out Home Fire Safety Visits for people at the highest risk of experiencing a fire in the home¹³. Northern Ireland's online check is available to anyone, but the in-person Home Fire Safety Check that follows is only available to those identified as being more at risk³. Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue Service has determined its eligibility criteria using information gathered from various sources, including personal factors, lifestyle factors and home environment, plus incident data and partner agencies⁴.

Services publish examples of who tends to qualify. Staffordshire Fire and Rescue Service lists residents who may be eligible for a Safe and Well visit as those aged 65+ living alone, those with mobility issues, those who have a history of house fires, those who smoke inside their property, and households with children under the age of five¹⁴. In Northern Ireland, NIFRS asks anyone concerned about an elderly relative, neighbour or someone who may be vulnerable to consider referring them for a Free Home Fire Safety Check through its website¹⁵.

If you do not meet the criteria for an in-person visit, you are not turned away with nothing. Staffordshire offers a tailored help and advice service instead for those who do not fit the criteria¹⁴. South Wales Fire and Rescue Service says that for some households a visit may not be needed, and instead you will be given up to date guidance about how to reduce the risk of fires starting in your home, and free smoke alarms if required⁵. The online check itself is available to everyone and produces a personalised fire action plan whatever your risk level¹⁶.

Start with the online Home Fire Safety Check: around 15 minutes

The online Home Fire Safety Check is a self-assessment: you answer a series of questions about your home and habits, and at the end you receive a personalised fire action plan which shows the potential causes of fire in your home and gives safety advice to help reduce the risk of fire¹⁶. It takes around 15 minutes⁴. The advice is tailored to your answers, and you can download and keep it for future reference³. If the assessment identifies your household at greater risk, you will be referred for an in-person Home Fire Safety Check, where the fire service visits to give further practical advice¹⁶.

The check was developed through a partnership between the National Fire Chiefs Council, Fire Kills and Safelincs³. It was launched in 2022, given Ministerial approval, and had been used 42,110 times up to April 2023¹⁷. It was initially launched in England, with a Welsh tool under development at that time¹⁷. Even where a fire and rescue service has not formally onboarded the tool, if a person in its area completes the assessment and needs a visit, the information is passed to that service¹⁷.

You do not have to do it for yourself. The check can be completed for yourself or with anyone who would benefit, such as a neighbour, friend or relative³, and nidirect specifically suggests doing the safety check with someone you are concerned about, especially those who may not have access to the internet¹⁶. London Fire Brigade describes its version as a simple tool that can guide you around the home helping you spot fire risks, and says it only takes a few minutes to check your home and get tailored advice for your family¹⁰.

How to book a visit in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland

The routes differ by nation, so here they are side by side. In every case the visit and any alarms fitted are free.

England

In England, most services route you through the online checker first. London Fire Brigade asks you to fill in its Home Fire Safety Checker, which gives tailored advice for your home and arranges a visit if you are eligible¹. Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue Service runs its online check the same way: it takes around 15 minutes, and if necessary it will refer you for a full in-person home fire safety visit⁴. The online check was made available to all fire and rescue services in England, and if it identifies a person at increased risk who would benefit from a physical visit, this is flagged to the appropriate service¹⁹.

Scotland

The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service offers free fire safety visits to everyone in Scotland². To arrange one, you can call 0800 0731 999⁶ or text FIRE to 80800⁷. Partners and agencies can also refer households: those with EGRESS secure email software can send the Partner Referral Form securely, and those without it can submit details via the Home Fire Safety Questionnaire or call 0800 0731 999¹³.

Scotland also has its own alarm law, which the visit can help you understand. Every home in Scotland must have interlinked fire alarms, a requirement that applies to all Scottish homes as of February 2022⁶. Interlinked means if one goes off, they all go off, so you will always hear an alarm wherever you are in your home⁶. All smoke and heat alarms should be attached to the ceiling and be interlinked, and you need one heat alarm in the kitchen². The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service's guidance confirms the requirement is to have all smoke and heat alarms interlinked, and that all alarms should be ceiling mounted and interlinked²⁰.

Wales

In Wales, the Welsh Government advises that your local fire and rescue service offers a home safety visit to those who need it, and a visit includes free home safety advice and equipment, including smoke alarms and carbon monoxide alarms if needed¹¹. South Wales Fire and Rescue Service asks you to book a safe and well visit online: while you wait for the service to get in touch it suggests reading its booklet and trying some of the tips to reduce the risk in your home²¹. Importantly, South Wales Fire and Rescue Service warns that if you do not click the link to book a safe and well visit, it cannot contact you to arrange one, so make sure you complete that step²¹.

If an alarm installed by the fire service later develops a fault, you can contact 0800 169 1234 or email saw@mawwfire.gov.uk for a replacement²².

Northern Ireland

In Northern Ireland, start the online Home Fire Safety Check at www.nifrs.org¹⁸. If you fit NIFRS Person at Risk criteria, have no access to the internet, or are unable to complete the online self-assessment, contact NIFRS by phone on 028 9266 4221 to receive a free in person Home Fire Safety Check⁸. The in-person visit takes up to 40 minutes³. NIFRS works collaboratively with partner agencies to reach those in the community who may be more at risk from fire²³.

Free smoke alarms, including alarms for deaf and hard of hearing people

Fitting alarms is one of the main things a visit delivers. London Fire Brigade will even fit free smoke alarms during the visit if you need them¹. South Wales Fire and Rescue Service will provide and install free smoke alarms and heat detectors where risk is identified⁵. The Welsh Government guidance adds carbon monoxide alarms to the list where needed¹¹.

For deaf and hard of hearing people, specialist alarms are available through the same route. London Fire Brigade states that specialist alarms can also be fitted, for example strobe light and vibrating pad alarms for those who are deaf or hard of hearing²⁴. South Wales Fire and Rescue Service likewise provides alarms for people who are Deaf or hard of hearing⁵. Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue Service gives an example of how this works in practice: a customer with hearing aids was given equipment that would wake him if there is a fire when he takes his hearing aid out at night, plus a blanket⁴.

The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service maintains a deaf awareness page with resources, advice and guidance for people who are deaf or have hearing loss, including educational videos in British Sign Language²⁵. Its colleagues in East, North and South Ayrshire have also worked with local organisations to produce a BSL video covering the Your Guide to Fire Safety booklet²⁵.

The reason alarms matter so much is blunt. A third of Northern Ireland's fatal house fires in 2025 did not have working smoke alarms⁸. If your alarms are old, missing, or you cannot reach them to test, a free visit solves all three problems at once.

What happens during the visit

A home fire safety visit is a structured check, not a quick look round. Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue Service lists what a visit covers:

• checking smoke alarms are set up correctly
• making a fire escape plan
• electrics and charging safely
• cooking safely
• heaters and heating
• bedtime checks
• identifying and discussing any further support, and fitting specialist fire safety equipment where required⁴

The advice on each topic matches what the services say year round. Cooking is the number one cause of accidental fires, according to NIFRS²⁶, which advises never to leave cooking unattended, and if you need to leave the kitchen while cooking, even for just a few seconds, take pans off the heat or turn them off completely²⁷. On electrics, NIFRS advises not leaving electrics charging on soft surfaces, not overloading extension leads, and staying vigilant for signs of overheating or malfunction when charging reusable vapes or e-cigarettes²⁶. Smoking materials have been the leading cause of fatal house fires in Northern Ireland, accounting for 43% of such deaths over the past 10 years, and NIFRS strongly advises smoking outdoors at your property and extinguishing cigarettes before placing them in a suitable container such as a metal bin⁸.

Visits are short. Devon and Somerset says the visit usually takes around 45 minutes⁴; Northern Ireland says up to 40 minutes³; South Wales says about 30 minutes⁵. Devon and Somerset carries out home safety visits Monday to Friday, between 9am and 5pm, and offers a morning slot between 9.30am and 1pm or an afternoon slot between 1pm and 5pm⁴.

If you are worried about who is coming, you can check. Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue Service says that if you have any concerns about the identity of someone visiting you, call 0800 05 02 999⁴. If you are worried about coronavirus and want staff to wear gloves and a face covering, let them know on the day or in advance on 0800 05 02 999⁴.

Safe and Well visits: help beyond fire safety

In some areas, the visit goes further than fire. Staffordshire Fire and Rescue Service offers a Safe and Well visit for residents who qualify, to ensure they are safe at home, and for those who do not fit the criteria it offers a tailored help and advice service instead¹⁴. You can contact its Contact Centre on 0800 0241 999, and residents who are deaf or hard of hearing can text a request or enquiry to 07528 983 101¹⁴.

The Safe and Well model covers wider wellbeing topics alongside fire safety. The five main additional topics are smoking cessation, home security, falls prevention, scamming awareness, and tackling loneliness and isolation²². This matters because the people most at risk from fire are often the same people at risk in other ways: 75% of Northern Ireland's 2025 fire fatalities were people who lived alone, and over 65% of those were also in the NIFRS People at Risk group⁸.

Referrals work in both directions. Fire services work with partner agencies to reach those most at risk²³, and partners can refer households into the fire service, for example via the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service's referral routes¹³. NIFRS also provides safety advice beyond fire, including water safety, wildfire safety and seasonal fire safety advice²³. So if a visit uncovers a need the firefighter cannot meet, such as falls prevention or loneliness, they can point you or refer you to the right support.

Where this fits with your wider home safety

A home fire safety visit is the single highest-value step in home safety because it is free, expert and tailored. Around it, a few related habits and pieces of kit make a real difference, and the fire service's own advice points the way.

If the power goes off, reach for a torch rather than a candle: our guides on torches, head torches and battery lanterns cover what to keep and where, and where to keep torchches so you can find them in the dark is worth reading alongside your escape plan. If you do use candles, follow the fire service's advice and our candle safety checklist, and consider LED candles as a safer alternative. Our page on charging and storing rechargeable torches safely covers how to keep torches ready and charged safely.

Finally, know what to do if the worst happens. The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service is unequivocal:

Scottish Fire and Rescue Service⁹

NIFRS puts it the same way: get out, stay out and call 999²⁶. Make your escape plan before you need it, and let the fire service help you make it for free.