Flats built to the requirements laid down in British Standard Code of Practice 3: Chapter IV: Part 1: 1971, have been designed and built with safety in mind.  The walls, the doors between flats, stairs and corridors are specially designed to resist fire and stop the spread of smoke - when they are not in use these doors should be kept closed.

In your own flat you will find that you can get to your front door without going through the rooms where a fire is most likely to start - the kitchen and the living room.

Outside the building, roads and other areas are designed so that emergency vehicles can get as near as possible.  You should find a public telephone close by where you can call the fire brigade.

Don't block your escape route
Don't be tempted to clutter the stairs and corridors of your building.  Remember, when you share a building with other families your safety and theirs depends on everyone co-operating.  If fire breaks out the hall is the only escape route for you and your family.  Do not obstruct it, particularly with things that may catch fire easily.  Avoid using portably heaters in the hall.

What to do if fire breaks out in your flat

• Alert any other people in the flat.
• Leave the room at once and close the door.  Don't tackle the fire yourself unless it is safe to do so.
• Leave the flat and, when everyone is out, close the front door.  Don't use balconies unless they are part of an official escape route.
• Call the fire brigade - it's 999 and free from any telephone.
• If you have to leave the building, use the staircase.  Never use the lift.

If fire breaks out elsewhere in your building
It will normally be safe for you to stay in your own flat.  But if your flat is affected by the heat or the smoke, leave at once closing windows and doors behind you.

*The advice contained on this page is only appropriate to high rise flats in blocks built to the requirements laid down in British Standard Code of Practice 3: Chapter IV: Part 1: 1971.

If you are in any doubt as to whether your block is of that standard, ask your local housing authority.