Home Fire Safety quiz highlights fire risks in London homes during festive routines

Online checker targets Home Fire Safety risks

London Fire Brigade is asking residents to spend around two minutes completing its online Home Fire Safety Checker to identify risks in their homes.

The Brigade said the free tool is designed as a short online quiz that guides people around their property and highlights potential fire hazards.

Users answer questions about their home and who lives there, and the system then generates a tailored action plan setting out simple fire safety improvements.

The Brigade explained that the process is intended to be quick enough to complete during common daily pauses, such as commercial breaks or while waiting for the kettle to boil.

The organisation is encouraging Londoners to complete the check at the start of December before putting up Christmas decorations that could hide existing hazards.

Residents are also encouraged to repeat the check after decorating to see whether additional items, such as lights and candles, have introduced new risks.

London Fire Brigade stated that the checker enables it to focus resources on those at greatest risk, as identified through the responses.

If a household is assessed as very high risk, firefighters will attend the property within four hours to carry out further checks and provide support.

Residential fire trends and household behaviours

The Brigade reported that in the last four years nearly one third of all incidents attended involved residential properties.

So far in 2025, up to 25 November, firefighters have attended 4,554 residential fires, which is nearly 14 incidents every day.

Since the online checker was launched in July 2023, 31,285 people have used it to assess fire risks in their homes.

London Fire Brigade said 21,757 respondents admitted leaving cooking unattended, reflecting a pattern it has seen in recent incident data.

Since 2022, 34% of residential dwelling fires have been linked to cooking, with smoking and electrical causes also among the most frequent origins.

Assistant Commissioner for Prevention & Protection, Pamela Oparaocha, said: “Firefighters have attended nearly 14 residential fires each day this year.

“By completing the HFSC you could identify fire risks in your home and prevent a fire from starting.

“Homes have many hidden fire risks and our online checker allows you to quickly walk around your home and identify any that may have gone unnoticed.

“The action plan is tailored to each individual based on your responses, it offers guidance on simple steps you can take to better protect your home.

“One of the best ways of protecting your home is to ensure you have working smoke alarms and heat alarms.

“With cooking consistently being one of the top three causes of residential fires, fitting a heat alarm in your kitchen could save your life.

“Include the Home Fire Safety Checker on your Christmas ‘to-do’ list, it only takes two minutes – stretch your legs in the commercials and walk round your home.

“Spending two minutes checking you and your loved ones are safe is better than any gift you could give.”

The Brigade’s message links the checker to seasonal routines, highlighting that extra lighting, decorations and candles can increase the risk of overloading sockets or placing ignition sources close to flammable materials.

London Fire Brigade is also reminding people that many fire risks are not immediately obvious and that a structured walk-through can help to identify issues residents may otherwise miss.

Support for vulnerable residents and informal carers

The Home Fire Safety Checker asks targeted questions about the home and its occupants to identify where people may be more vulnerable to fire.

London Fire Brigade said the tool flags immediate risks and highlights where residents might need further support based on their circumstances.

If a user is identified as very high risk, the Brigade will arrange a home visit from firefighters within four hours to provide in-person advice and checks.

The Brigade is asking people to think beyond their own homes and use the checker when visiting elderly or vulnerable family members or neighbours.

It has also highlighted the role of informal carers, noting that between 2023 and 2024 an estimated 5.4 million people across the UK were providing unpaid care to another person.

The organisation is encouraging anyone who provides care to complete the Home Fire Safety Checker during everyday activities such as making a cup of tea to review basic fire safety measures in the property.

London Fire Brigade has stressed that carers can use the tool to identify hazards and follow the tailored action plans on behalf of the person they support.

How online home checks support prevention work

Fire and rescue chiefs and senior officers can use the Home Fire Safety Checker model as an example of how short online tools can channel limited prevention resources towards the homes most at risk.

The approach described by London Fire Brigade links digital self-assessment with rapid follow-up visits, as households assessed as very high risk receive a visit from firefighters within four hours.

Fire safety officers and community prevention teams can draw on the underlying messages about unattended cooking, smoking and electrical hazards when planning local awareness campaigns.

The data outlined by the Brigade, including that nearly a third of fires attended in the last four years were in residential properties and that 34% of recent dwelling fires were cooking related, provides context for focusing on domestic environments and everyday behaviours.

Risk assessors and those involved in designing home fire safety interventions can also note the emphasis on smoke alarms and heat alarms, particularly in kitchens, as a practical measure within the domestic setting described.

Informal carers are identified as a key group in the Brigade’s messaging, with 5.4 million people estimated to be providing unpaid care between 2023 and 2024, which gives additional context for services working at the interface between fire safety and social care.

By embedding the checker in routine activities, such as waiting for the kettle to boil or television advert breaks, the initiative illustrates how home fire safety checks can be built into daily life without requiring lengthy appointments or complex technology.