Staying fire safe in communal areas

There is great importance for good housekeeping in communal areas, particularly internal stairs and corridors. As your property managers, we have the responsibility to ensure that the common areas in our developments are safe and don’t pose any threat in the event of a fire. Whilst many modern developments may be equipped with fire safety equipment e.g. dry risers, fire alarms, sprinkler systems etc, older buildings can often be more vulnerable in the event of a fire and it is important that all appropriate steps are taken to minimise any risk.

Whilst on site, our Property Managers will assess all common areas for hazards i.e. any situation that can give rise to a fire. They will also assess for risk: the likelihood that a fire may occur, and the potential for a fire to cause damage or injury. Your Property Manager will carry out a visual assessment of any fire risks during their development inspection and will take any preventative action possible.

To assist your Property Manager and help reduce the risk of fire for yourself and other residents, you should take reasonable precautions and follow these five rules:

1. Don’t leave any personal items in the common stairwell

Combustible or flammable items, especially, should be kept in a safe-places, out with common areas.

2. Avoid storing any personal items in electricity cupboards

Highly flammable items can ignite with the smallest spark – keep yourself and others safe by keeping these items away from the electricity cupboard.

3. Keep fire exits and escape routes unobstructed at all times

It can sometimes be difficult to fully appreciate the impact of some obstructions but imagine your stair or landing filled with smoke and visibility severely reduced – could you get out safely?

4. Ensure all rubbish is deposited in the bins provided

Along with helping the environment and keeping it tidy, ensuring there is no litter around also keeps your communal area clear of any potential obstructions and reduces fire hazards.

5. Report any fire risks to your Property Manager

We need to know if there are any risks to the property and we aim to get them sorted as soon as possible.

It’s the little things that can help to save lives in the situation of a fire. In developments where there is fire safety equipment present, we always ensure that a proper maintenance contract is in place with an approved contractor.

Emergency situations can happen at any time, but although rare, they do have the knack of occurring during the night or weekends! At James Gibb, we understand that life happens 24/7, and have a 24 hour out of hours emergency call outs service available to you at any time of the day or night. You can call your local office in the case of an emergency to be connected to our emergency, pre-approved contractors. Call outs of this nature can be expensive, so please only use this as an option in genuine emergency situations. These are defined as those which require immediate attention to protect the fabric of the building or to attend to significant health and safety incidents. Please remember that 999 is always the first number you should dial in the case of an absolute emergency.

Here is a note of our office numbers:

Glasgow: 0141 552 2230

Edinburgh: 0131 229 3481

Aberdeen: 01224 650 600

Take fire safety seriously and keep yourself and others in your building safe – it’s everyone’s responsibility.