The Fire Kills national campaign relaunched in November 2025 with a new video advert, supported by radio and digital adverts, the National Fire Chiefs Council (NFCC) has said1. The campaign is run by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG), in collaboration with the NFCC and fire and rescue services in England1.
The NFCC said the campaign "reminds people how important it is to have more smoke alarms at home", and that the creative shows the risks of not having good smoke alarm coverage and the serious consequences that can happen if a home is not properly protected1. The campaign is aimed at raising awareness of everyday fire risks in the home and encourages all households in England, particularly vulnerable people, to test their smoke alarms regularly1. MHCLG has launched a partner toolkit with links to downloadable video, social media and print resources1.
"The Fire Kills national campaign relaunched in November 2025 with a new video advert, supported by radio and digital adverts."
Monthly toolkits and a campaign calendar are produced to support fire safety messaging, and fire services may wish to support the monthly themes to help keep their communities safe from fire1. The 2026 calendar lists the following themes1:
| Month | Toolkit theme |
|---|---|
| January | Smoke alarm purchasing |
| February | Electrical fire safety |
| March | Smoking |
| April | Smoke alarm testing |
| May | Escape routes |
| June | Outdoor fires |
| July | Cooking fire safety |
| August | Outdoor fire safety |
| September | Home fire safety |
| October | Smoke alarm testing |
| November | Cold weather |
Why it matters for households
The campaign covers households in England, with particular emphasis on vulnerable people, and its central message is regular testing of smoke alarms and adequate alarm coverage at home1. The NFCC describes the new advert as showing the risks of poor smoke alarm coverage and the consequences of a home not being properly protected1. The campaign's own guidance for households is to test smoke alarms regularly1. Practical questions such as how many alarms a home needs, where to fit them, and how often to test them are covered in the site's guides on how many smoke alarms a house or flat needs, where to fit smoke alarms and how often to test smoke and CO alarms. Further material on alarm types, power sources and alarms for deaf and hard of hearing people sits within the home emergencies hub.
What happens next
The campaign calendar for 2026 sets out monthly themes, with smoke alarm purchasing the theme for January, smoke alarm testing in April and October, and cold weather in November1. Monthly toolkits for 2026 are published alongside the calendar1. No further national advertising dates beyond the November 2025 relaunch have been reported1.
Sources (1)
- Fire Kills - NFCC, nfcc.org.uk
How Many Smoke Alarms
