Smoke alarms save lives. Every home should have at least one fitted. They can be fixed to the ceiling or wall. Smoke alarms will give an early warning of a fire in your home and make a loud noise to warn everyone to get out of the house in safety. Even a small fire can fill your home with thick poisonous smoke in a couple of minutes.

What to do if you discover a fire or the smoke alarm goes off.

1. If your smoke alarm is going off tell an adult.
2. Get out. Get others out, too, if you can, but don't put yourself at risk.
3. Call the Fire Brigade. Dial 999 from the nearest telephone outside your house and ask for the fire brigade.
4. Stay Out. Don't go back into the house for anything.
5. If you can not find a safe way out of the house make sure everyone knows there is a fire.
6. If you are trapped in one room by flames or smoke, close the door. Do not open it again if the door handle is hot.
7. Block the gaps around the door with something soft to stop the smoke from getting in.
8. If you have not been able to call the fire brigade by dialling 999 on the telephone, stay by the window and shout to attract the attention of someone who can call the fire brigade for you. Stay by the window and wait for the fire brigade to arrive.

Fire Prevention

It is good to know what you need to do if you were ever to discover a fire in your house, but it is far better to know how to stop fire's starting in the first place. Here are a few fire prevention tips:

1. Don't play with matches or lighters. Tell an adult straight away if you ever find any lying around.
2. Don't stand or play too close to fires or heaters
3. Don't leave toys or clothes on or too close to fires and heaters
4. Unplug anything electrical that you have been using. Not everything is designed to be left switched on all the time. Be safe and unplug it.
5. Get your parents or guardian to plan an escape route from the house in case of a fire and ask them to tell you about it.
6. Close doors when you go to bed.