Apply for a safe and well visit (home fire safety check)
A safe and well visit (previously called a home fire safety check) is a free service carried out by the Warwickshire Fire and Rescue Service to help you stay safe and reduce the risk of fire in your home.
Safe and Well visits are completely free and you may be eligible for free smoke alarms to be fitted where required. You will not be sold anything.
What’s involved in a Safe and Well visit?
A Safe and Well visit consists of operational members of your local fire and rescue service visiting your home, at a time convenient to yourself, to carry out an inspection of your home.This usually takes around an hour and enables them to advise and educate on safety at home, with a particular focus on our most vulnerable residents.
During the visit they will provide you with fire safety advice, check that your smoke alarms are working and replace/install new ones if needed.You may qualify for free smoke alarms to be fitted within your home. This will be carried out completely free of charge and they can fit them in a matter of minutes, ensuring you are safer from the moment they leave.
The visits focus on three key areas:
- Identify and be aware of the potential fire risks within your home
- Know what to do in order to reduce or prevent these risks
- Put together an escape plan in case a fire does break out and ensure you have working smoke alarms.
The inspection of your home is not as intrusive as it sounds. They will visit your home, sit down and talk to you about many fire safety issues in your home, covering areas such as:
- Electrical safety
- Smoking
- The use of electric blankets.
They will then, with your permission, look at the various rooms within your home paying particular attention to areas such as overloaded plug sockets or wires trapped under carpets. They will also ensure that doors shut correctly and advise you of anything that needs addressing to make your home a safer one. You are welcome to ask any questions that you feel you need answering in respect of your home safety. They will also run through an escape plan if you do not already have one.
Safe and Well visits involve much more than just fitting smoke detectors though. We know there are strong links between health, well-being and lifestyle choices and the risk of fire. This is why, with the residents’ permission, in addition to the above inspection, the new Safe and Well visit now includes the facility for those carrying out the visit to ask you some health and wellbeing questions regarding issues such as:
- Giving up smoking
- Alcohol, medication and drugs
- Mental health, dementia
- Mobility including preventing slips, trips and falls
- Loneliness and social isolation
- Healthy eating and lifestyles
- Home security
- Road safety
- Winter warmth
- Home security
You do not have to answer any questions if you do not feel comfortable in doing so. However, the questions and answers given may give indicators suggesting further help is required, and the fire and rescue service may well be able to refer you to the correct partner agencies to get you the help required.
Please Note: All members of the UK fire and rescue service who visit your homewill always carry their identity cards, and you should ask to see this before allowing them entry to your home. If identification is not forthcoming, contact your local fire and rescue service to check they are genuine. You will not be asked for any money, so beware callers offering to carry out the above visit for a fee, they will be bogus.
To book your free safe and well check please follow the link below:
Or call:
01926 466 282
For more information on this service please take a look at their flyer below.
