Brits Lack Fire Safety Knowledge and Equipment

Millions of Brits are risking their homes and their lives because they do not have fire safety devices installed in their houses, a leading insurer warns.

More than eight and a half million adults do not have a smoke alarms in their home whilst 25 million households do not have a fire extinguisher. A further 31 million do not own a fire blanket, according to Halifax Home Insurance.

But more than five million adults do not have any of these basic safety devices in their home. Every year some 58,000 fires lead to 11,500 injuries.

One in five households in the north-west does not have any fire safety equipment compared to one in twenty homes in the south-eats and East Anglia.

Many Brits also lack basic knowledge of how to tackle a blaze. Almost one and a half million people would risk injury during a small electrical fire by dousing live equipment with water.

Instead, they should have pulled the plug out or turned the electricity off at the mains before throwing a fire blanket over the burning equipment or spraying it with a non-water based fire extinguisher.

Hundreds of thousands of people also still believe that throwing water on a chip pan fire will put it out when in fact this will only make it worse.

Vicky Emmott, senior underwriting manager Halifax Home Insurance, said: "It is worrying that so many householders still do not have the basic fire safety devices in their homes. With the prices of smoke alarms starting at just £5 from supermarkets or DIY stores there is no excuse for people not to protect themselves.

"Thousands of people are injured by home fires each year so it is vital people take adequate precautions to safeguard their families and possessions. Unfortunately, the fire education message is still failing to get through to millions of Britons."