Fire officers are calling on families to make a house fire escape plan, after a major city-wide survey found less than half of parents discuss with children how to get out safely in the event of a blaze.

The Sheffield Parents Survey spoke to nearly 2,000 parents across the city about a range of topics, including fire safety.

It found that most people (95%) knew how to reduce the risk of fire in their home and that even more (96%) had at least one working smoke alarm.

But just two out of every five parents (43%) who responded said they had talked to their children about escaping quickly and safely in the event of a fire.

South Yorkshire Fire & Rescue already talks to tens of thousands of children each year about escape routes and preventing fires during primary schools visits and at the Lifewise Centre, but fire safety officers want parents to do more to support their work.

Area Manager Steve Helps, said: “There are fewer house fires now than at any time in South Yorkshire’s history, but in the unlikely event that a blaze does occur it’s vital that everyone in the house knows what to do, especially in homes where there are young children.

“It’s important that on discovering a fire children know not to hide, which can often be their first instinct. Instead, we would encourage families to work together to know and discuss the best routes in and out of their house and to make sure that everyone knows where to find door and window keys in the event of a fire, especially at night.”

If your smoke alarms do go off or you discover a fire, get out, stay out and call 999.

Other advice includes:

• Choose the best escape route– usually your normal way in and out of the home
• If the first route is blocked, think of a second one, and keep those routes cleared at all times
• Make sure everyone knows where to find door and window keys so they can get to them quickly in the event of a fire
• Practice your escape plan with everyone if your house, so everyone knows what to do in the event of a fire

The fire service has also produced a video which teaches people how to make a family escape plan, which you can view below