Northamptonshire Fire and Rescue Service offers Home Fire Safety Visits to people living with dementia

Northamptonshire Fire and Rescue Service is encouraging people to sign up for a free home fire safety visit to help those living with dementia feel safer at home.

Home Fire Safety Visits, carried out by NFRS, include personalised advice to address issues people with dementia may have in keeping safe at home.

The symptoms of dementia, such as memory problems, can increase the fire safety risk in the home, such as forgetting to turn electrical items on or off or confusion around the use of appliances.

NFRS can offer advice on implementing practical fire safety steps for those living with dementia, such as shut-off devices which stop the gas supply if a cooker is left on, or a gas tap which can be turned off to prevent unsupervised cooking.

Tina Collett, from the NFRS Home Fire Safety Team said: “Home fire safety visits can be tailored to help people who have dementia, addressing individual concerns and challenges they may face in the home.

“We know how concerning it can be to live independently with dementia, especially for family members. It is very easy to request a visit either for yourself, or someone who you think may need some help.

“Our staff will be on hand to offer friendly advice, and even fit free smoke alarms for people who are vulnerable. If you need our help, or know someone that does, please get in touch with us.”

To request a Home Fire Safety Visit:

Individual requests:

If you have internet access, please visit our website to book a visit for yourself:

https://www.northantsfire.gov.uk/home-safety-checks/

Visits can also be requested by calling 01604 797000

Professional agency referrals:

Online referrals can be made by completing the agency referral form:

https://www.northantsfire.gov.uk/home-safety-checks/

On-Line Home Fire Safety Self-Checker:

If you don’t want anyone to visit your home, but you want to carry out your own fire safety check, you can use our On-Line Portal:

https://www.safelincs.co.uk/hfsc/?ref=NHFRS

To keep yourself safe from fire in the home:

• Consider using a microwave instead of an oven. It can make cooking easier.
• It is important to check that your cooker is safe. For electric cookers, ask a qualified electrician to check it. For gas cookers, arrange a visit with a Gas Safe registered engineer.
• If you have memory problems, you may worry that you will forget to turn off the oven or hob. ‘Shut off’ devices are available to stop the gas supply if you forget to turn off the cooker.
• You can also have a special gas tap fitted that friends and family can turn off when they leave your home. This does mean some loss of independence for someone with dementia, but it may be the choice to make if safety and memory issues are concerns.
• Only buy furniture that is fire resistant.
• Never smoke in bed.
• Never leave lit candles unattended.
• Smoke alarms give an early warning of a fire, by detecting smoke and sounding an alarm and are best fitted in hallways and at the top of stairs. Smoke alarms should not be in the kitchen and bathroom as heat and vapour from cooking and bathing can set them off unnecessarily.
• Smoke alarms are run by batteries or by mains electricity. You should test the batteries in your alarms once a week by pressing the button until the alarm sounds.