Home fire safety checklist

1 · Coverage — is anything missing?

• A smoke alarm inside every room where somebody sleeps
• A smoke alarm in every hallway, landing and corridor, on every storey
• A device at the head of each staircase
• A heat detector in the kitchen — and no smoke sensing within 3 m of the hob
• No smoke alarm inside a bathroom, shower room or laundry
• A heat detector in the garage, workshop or utility room, not smoke sensing
• A CO alarm where there is a boiler, stove, open fire or integral garage
• A device in the loft conversion, or a rated device in the roof void
• Every device is interlinked — trigger one and all of them sound
• Device count matches the coverage calculator estimate for this dwelling

2 · Placement — is each device in the right spot?

• On the ceiling, as close to the centre of the room as practical
• At least 30 cm from any wall, and at least 30 cm from light fittings
• Out of the dead-air wedge within about 10 cm of the wall-to-ceiling junction
• Wall-mounted devices are 30–50 cm below the ceiling, not lower
• At least 1 m from air-conditioning vents, fans, windows and doors that create draughts
• On a sloped ceiling, about 900 mm from the apex rather than at the very peak
• Nothing obstructs the device — no boxes, no curtains, no tape over the vents
• No device has been painted over or papered over

3 · Function — does it actually work today?

• Every test button produces a loud, clear alarm — not just a light
• No device is chirping, flashing a fault pattern or showing a fault lamp
• Interlink verified from the furthest device in the building
• No battery has been removed, and no device is hanging off its mounting plate
• Mains devices are fed from a permanent circuit and the isolator is on
• No device is older than ten years
• Connected devices still report to the app, and their local sounder still works with the network off
• A CO alarm self-test has been performed if one is fitted

4 · Maintenance — will it still work next year?

• Weekly test scheduled and carried out — the same day each week
• Chamber vents vacuumed with a soft brush in the last six months
• Replaceable batteries changed on schedule, with spares kept in the house
• Alarms tested after every trip away from home
• Installation and replacement dates written on every device
• Replacement units purchased before the ten-year date, not after
• Maintenance record sheet below kept up to date

5 · Escape plan — could everybody get out?

• Two ways out of every room where possible, and both are usable
• Window keys and door keys are accessible, not hidden in a drawer
• A meeting point outside has been agreed by everybody in the household
• Escape routes are clear of clutter, and internal doors are kept closed at night
• The plan has been rehearsed in the last six months, including with children
• Everybody knows to call the fire service from outside the building, never from inside
• Smoking materials, candles and electrical items have been checked as sources of ignition
• Children and vulnerable occupants have been shown what the alarm sounds like

6 · Record sheet

Photocopy this table, or keep it with the property documents. In rented and commercial property, this record is a compliance document.