House fire threat necessitates home insurance

Posted : 03-02-2006

With 58,000 house fires in the UK every year, new research from Halifax Home Insurance has found an alarming degree of fire-safety ignorance among British homeowners.

The survey from the Halifax found that almost one and a half million adults had absolutely no fire safety knowledge whatsoever and would probably throw water on an electrical or chip pan fire to put them out. Meanwhile, five million people have no form of fire safety devices in their homes.

House fires can be devastating in both an emotional and a financial way, particularly for the five million adults without fire protection. Not only are they risking their family's lives, they are also risking their homes and their possessions if they do not have adequate home insurance.

In terms of specific fire safety products, more than eight and a half million adults do not have a smoke alarm installed in their home, despite their low cost. The survey also found that over 25 million adults did not posses an extinguisher, while 31 million did not have a fire blanket.

Homeowners may also be missing out on making additional savings as the presence of smoke alarms and a fire extinguisher can reduce home insurance premiums.

Vicky Emmott, senior underwriting manager, Halifax Home Insurance, said: "It is worrying that so many householders still do not have the basic fire safety devices in their homes. With the prices of smoke alarms starting at just £5 from supermarkets or DIY stores there is no excuse for people not to protect themselves.

"Thousands of people are injured by home fires each year so it is vital people take adequate precautions to safeguard their families and possessions. Unfortunately, the fire education message is still failing to get through to millions of Britons."

The north-east is the worst for fire-safety, with 20 per cent of people without some form of a fire safety device installed at home. East Anglia and the south-east fared considerably better, with just ten per cent of people living with no form of fire safety.


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