Action sheet — During a fire
Sealing up your home in 10 minutes as a fire approaches
Airtightness is key to containing the fire: every gap under a door, every ventilation fan running, every open shutter lets in smoke and sparks. The whole sequence — shutters, vents, damp washing, gas — takes exactly ten minutes. Practise it once without any pressure.
Key points
- Close everything: shutters, windows, the chimney flue, the cat flap — the house becomes a box.
- Switch everything off: turn off the forced ventilation and air conditioning (as they draw in the fumes).
- Seal everything up: place damp cloths at the bottom of doors and over air inlets.
- Gas turned off, bath and buckets filled, protective clothing — then move to the room opposite the fire, away from the windows.
Equipment: towels/sheets for wetting · buckets · torch · battery-powered radio · wide adhesive tape (optional)
Why it’s important
The fire front passes in a matter of minutes; what kills people and sets houses alight as it passes are the fumes and the sparks that find their way in. A well-sealed house keeps the air breathable and prevents any embers from reaching curtains or wallpaper. This factsheet is a quick guide to the guide’s procedures to stay at home — Read this to understand when to stay put rather than evacuate.
How to do it, step by step
Minute 0–2: the envelope
Check the whole house: shutters closed (including upstairs), windows locked, bay windows + shutters, chimney flue closed, cat flap locked or sealed.
Minutes 2–4: air flows
Ventilation system switched off (circuit breaker or switch — locate it now), air conditioning switched off, extractor hood switched off. Air inlets in the windows: sealed with adhesive tape or a damp cloth.
Minutes 4–6: Fluids
Gas shut off at the valve (cylinders AND tanks), bottles reported. The electricity stays on as long as it’s working. Bathtub, sinks and buckets: fill them up.
Minutes 6–8: final sealing
WET towels rolled up and placed at the bottom of every door leading outside, on the thresholds of windows, and over any draughty gaps. A damp sheet over the most exposed door.
Minutes 8–10: the people
Warm clothing, closed-toe shoes, damp scarves to hand. Gather in the room OPPOSITE the front line, with water, a torch, a radio, a telephone, kit. Move away from the windows; breathe in through your nose if smoke gets in.
After the visit
We only head out when the weather has clearly calmed down, fully kitted out, for the anti-ember ring — it was she who saved the house in the hours that followed.
The mistakes that ruin everything
- Leave the mechanical ventilation system running — it turns the house into a smoke extractor.
- Dousing yourself with water and going out to ‘defend’ against the fire front: you only defend AFTERWARDS, against the embers.
- Settle down in the conservatory to ‘keep an eye on things’ — the radiation passes through the glass.
- Finding out on the big day that you don’t know where to switch off the ventilation system or the gas.
The tip that makes all the difference
Do a timed run-through once, as a family, out of season: make a note on a fridge magnet of where the gas valve, ventilation system shut-off switch and circuit breaker are located. On the big day, this reminder will be worth its weight in gold.
Frequently Asked Questions
The risk changes every day. So do your reflexes.
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