Home safety visits

We offer two fire safety services to people who live in Devon and Somerset.

Our online home fire safety check takes around 15 minutes and is a convenient way to help you look at areas of your home and provides tailored fire safety advice.

We also offer home safety visits for the most at-risk members of our community. We will come and visit your home at a convenient time to see what we can do together to make you safer.

Book a home safety visit
Home safety visit with a vulnerable adult

Online home safety check

Our online home safety check is a tool you can use in your own time when it is convenient to you. The questions will give you areas to check and advice to follow. If necessary, it will also refer you for a full in-person home safety visit.

During a home fire safety visit

We will arrange for one of our friendly Home Safety Technicians to visit you and have a conversation about fire safety in your home. 

The visit usually takes around 45 minutes and covers:

  • checking smoke alarms are set up correctly
  • making a fire escape plan
  • using electricity safely
  • cooking safely
  • keeping children safe from fire
  • identifying and discussing any further support, including fitting specialist fire safety equipment where required.

We can provide British Sign Language and some foreign language translations during visits too. Please ask about this when booking. 

Who they're for

  • Any household with children under the age of 18.
  • Anyone aged over 65.
  • Anyone with a disability, mobility issues or sensory loss.
  • Anyone who smokes and lives alone.
  • Anyone with a thatched property.
  • Many vulnerable people.

We offer free home safety visits to many other people - if you are not sure if you are eligible, please get in touch - call 0800 05 02 999 or email firekills@dsfire.gov.uk.

Time slots available

We carry out home safety visits from Monday to Friday, between the hours of 9am to 5pm.

You will be offered a morning slot (a visit between 9.30am and 1pm) or an afternoon slot (a visit between 1pm and 5pm).

We try not to offer specific times, so that our technicians are able to plan their day in the most time effective way. This can be discussed further when you book a visit.

What to expect

Our video shows you what to expect on a typical home safety visit. 

Transcript for the video

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[Music]

A fire service van arrives at Harry's house and the Technician is let in.

Harry - "I'm on my own since I lost my wife. We used to do everything together me and my wife and there's you know it's been some time now. I've had to get used to you know being alone".

Fire Service Technician - "So as a Technician we would go to people's homes and we would just check to see that they're as far as safe as they can be. Harry had limited mobilities, he didn't really leave the property very often".

Harry - "I was amazed because it was free and they brought all sorts of things. They checked my house".

Technician - "Harry has hearing aids he wears during the day. At night time he takes them out which means that he isn't going to hear the smoke alarm".

Harry - "They brought all sorts of things so if I take my hearing aid out at night, it will wake me up if there's a fire. And they brought me a lovely blanket. I was really surprised and it was so nice to have the company which i don't normally get". 

Technician - "We went into the kitchen, he had the cooker which had things that could easily catch fire close to it. We're there to help them and support them in giving them guidance on how they can make themselves safer".

Harry - "It wasn't anything like I expected. They spent that time with me and helped me so much". 

Technician - "It's about them as well, coming up with ways that they can change things or they can make things safer and about just giving that extra guidance that bit of support or the equipment to enable them to be able to do that. It's a lot of us working together". 

Harry - "I'm very pleased. Everything was so thorough. I didn't know they did this it's so good and more people should do it. I was amazed because it was free. It makes me feel like I can play the piano and enjoy doing something I enjoy and feel safer. And I'm just less worried and and I think I sleep a little better now, knowing that I will be safe at night. The fire service have really done something for me and I appreciate that very much".

Why have a home safety visit?

Many fires in the home are preventable. Our friendly home fire safety technicians will work with you to protect you in your home and give you simple ways to help keep you and your family safe from fire. 

A mother sits with her two children and a home safety technician at their kitchen table. They are talking about fire safety with a toy fire engine on the table.

Coronavirus update

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All face-to-face home safety visits are conducted by fully trained technicians who will be wearing the appropriate level of PPE (including a face covering). If a person does not feel comfortable with a face-to-face visit being conducted at this time, we can provide home safety engagement and advice over the telephone.

To keep people safer in their homes, our operational staff are also conducting doorstep engagement in targeted areas: for example in a neighbourhood where there has been a recent incident. All these members of staff will be carrying identification.

We also have crews who are currently making phone calls to people who have received home safety engagement in the past, to ensure they still have adequate working smoke detection. All of these people will receive a letter in advance of these telephone calls. If you have had a phone call and you want to check it is legitimate, please call our home safety team on 0800 05 02 999.

If you are concerned about your own home fire safety or have concerns about a family, friend or neighbour please call our home safety team on 0800 05 02 999. You can also book or refer someone using our online referral form.

Verifying it's us

If you have any concerns about the identity of someone visiting you, then please give us a call on 0800 05 02 999 and we'll be happy to help.

How to verify it's us
Home safety technician

Book a home safety visit now

To request a free home safety visit, please call 0800 05 02 999 or complete our online referral form. The form takes just three minutes to complete.