Fire Safety
Our Housing Services team manages and controls the fire risks for all Winchester City Council Housing properties and ensures that there are suitable and sufficient arrangements for fire safety management.
Winchester City Council - Fire Safety Policy.
On this page
— Questions or concerns
— Get involved
— Your responsibilities
— Our responsibilities
— Help accessing this information
— Fire safety for disabled people and those with other needs
— Personal escape plans
— Useful links
Questions or concerns
If you have any questions about this information or concerns about fire safety, we are here to help. You can:
- Report it through the My Council Services Housing Fire Safety form – you don’t need an account and can report concerns using the Guest option at the bottom left of the login screen
- If you're unable to report your concern online, call us on 01962 848 400 or email: firesafety@winchester.gov.uk
- If you’d prefer to discuss your concern with a TACT (Tenants and Council Together – the City Council’s formal consultation group) tenant representative, call the Tenant Involvement Team on Freephone 0800 716 987.
Get involved
If you would like to be involved in how we improve and promote fire safety in your block, contact Tenant Involvement: email tinvolvement@winchester.gov.uk or call the Freephone number 0800 716 987.
Your responsibilities
- Follow fire safety guidance to keep you and your neighbours safe
- If you live in a flat, make sure you know the evacuation plan for your building
- Familiarise yourself with evacuation routes and safe places to assemble and check that others in your property understand this too
- Always keep communal areas clear of any rubbish and personal belongings. Corridors and landings are important escape routes so should be kept clear in case of emergency
- Test smoke detectors yourself every week
- WCC tenants - If your smoke detector does not work contact the Housing team immediately on 01962 848 400 or email housingrepairs@winchester.gov.uk
- WCC tenants living in sheltered flats do not need to test smoke alarms as these are connected to community alarm centre - WCC tenants and residents of leasehold flats - ask for permission to carry out works to your home so that you don’t put yourself and others at risk – even if it’s changing a letterbox or fitting a cat flap
- Let us know if you have oxygen cylinders in your property
Our responsibilities
- Check your block regularly to ensure fire safety measures are adequate
- Complete regular health & safety inspections
- Managing and maintain the fire protection measures for your block
- If you would like to know when the check for your block of flats is next due, you can find this information on the Fire Safety management page. On this page you can also see the reports for Winchester City Council’s ‘Category A’ blocks of flats.
Help accessing this information
If this information is needed in a different format i.e. large print, translation or easy read, please contact the Housing team. If you are a Winchester City Council tenant and have mobility issues that make it difficult to reach and test your smoke alarm, contact us and we’ll arrange support.
Hampshire Fire and Rescue has a Fire Safety in multiple languages page with links to fire safety advice in Bengali, Nepalese, Polish, Turkish, Hungarian, Portuguese and other languages.
Fire safety for disabled people and those with other needs
If you have concerns that you won’t be able to leave the building safely in the event of a fire, contact the Hampshire and Isle of Wight Fire and Rescue Service, as you may be entitled to a Safe and Well visit. These free home fire safety visits are available to support vulnerable members of our community to ensure they are protected from fire risks.
If you’d like to see if you qualify fill in the assessment form on the Hampshire Fire and Rescue website or speak to a housing officer who can refer you.
If you are a WCC tenant and have mobility issues that make it difficult to reach and test your smoke alarm, contact us and we’ll arrange support.
This government page has fire safety information for anyone with sight, hearing or mobility issues.
Personal escape plans
Make sure you’ve thought about how you would escape in the event of a fire in your home. Have a plan and ensure everyone in your household knows it.
Hampshire and Isle of Wight Fire and Rescue Service has lots of infomation on being prepared in case of a fire.
Useful links
Raise a Fire Concern - our online form.
Hampshire Fire and Rescue - You can find helpful advice here about fire risks including those linked to cooking, candles, smoking and electrical items such as electric blankets.
Fire Kills – the government campaign that highlights the everyday accidents that can cause a fire in your home and provides fire safety advice. There are a series of short films on fire safety advice on this website.
Tenants Handbook - The Fire Safety section of the Tenant Handbook provides more information about managing risks.