» Home » Welcome » Safeguarding Children Board » Other useful information » Safeguarding children from fires
Safeguarding children and young people from fires
Fire prevention with vulnerable families
Do you work with a family where someone:
- smokes
- drinks alcohol
- takes drugs
- has mental health problems
- has mobility or other physical health issues
- has learning disabilities
- has had a previous fire at their home (this may have been major or minor, it need not have resulted in the Fire Service being called)
- been a previous victim of arson, or received such threats.
Even if only one of the above is an issue for a family you work with, they may be vulnerable to having a fire in their home. This could result in injury or death to one or more family members. Less seriously, but still distressing, personal possessions may be lost, or temporary accommodation may be needed. If the family does not have insurance, they may have difficulty replacing items that are ruined.
South Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service (SYFRS) offer a free service to all households in Sheffield. This includes fitting smoke alarms in the property, carrying out a risk assessment in relation to fire prevention, and planning with the family what they should do in case of a fire. Sheffield Safeguarding Children Board is working with SYFRS to raise awareness with professionals about the risk of fire for vulnerable families, and to increase the uptake of the fire prevention service, to improve the safety for children, young people and their families.
Any family can receive this service from SYFRS. However, SSCB particularly wants to encourage professionals working with families who fit the criteria above to talk to them about this support that is available. If they are interested, once you have written consent to pass on their details, you can contact SYFRS on their behalf. SYFRS do not need to know any information about why you are working with the family or what specific issues they may have. They just need information that will enable them to carry out the assessment. They are also happy to do joint visits with you to families, particularly if this will aid take up of their service or access to the property.
If you would like to refer a family, ring the SYFRS Community Safety Hotline on (0114) 253 2314. They do an initial screening to decide the urgency of the referral. This includes asking if anyone smokes, whether there is a smoke alarm, if there are any open fires, or if anyone has a disability. If, as a result of this screening, they are deemed high priority, they will be referred to the Safe Team within 24 hours. If the family is not seen as high priority they will be referred to the local fire station, and they will receive a visit within 2 weeks.
As well as fitting smoke alarms, assessing the property and giving advice regarding fire risks and prevention, and planning with the family what to do in case of a fire, they can provide other services as required. This may include:
- referral to an SYFRS Advocate, if they have any mobility or mental health problems, for example
- flame retardant bedding
- letter box guards for those at risk of arson attacks
- smoke alarms for those who are hard of hearing
- referral to the Hot Spot scheme which is a partnership between SYFRS, Energy & Sustainability for Affordable Warmth, and the PCT for Stop Smoking support.
For further information contact Dawn Peet, Safeguarding Officer, SYFRS: (0114) 253 2354 or email dpeet@syfire.gov.uk. For further information visit www.syfire.gov.uk.