Fire Safety in Council housing

The Highland Council moves to reassure Council tenants on the fire safety of the Council’s housing stock, following the tragic fire in London.

The Council owns a number of multi-storey flatted properties but does not have any high rise buildings (above 5 storeys), including schools, & council homes.

All Council homes are fitted with hard wired smoke detectors. We would advise all of our tenants to check that their smoke detector is working regularly. If it is not, or if they have difficulty checking it themselves, they should let us know and we will be able to help.

Tenants of flats should also make sure that there are no combustible items left in stairwells and that stairs are left unobstructed. Again - if people have concerns about this they can contact us.

Chair of Places Committee, Cllr Allan Henderson said: “Our thoughts are with everyone affected by the dreadful tragedy at Grenfell Tower in London. We would like to reassure anyone in Highland who has concerns following this tragic incident. We are confident of the fire safety of our housing stock in relation to building standards and conditions, but will obviously consider the factors involved in the Grenfell Tower fire as details emerge on this and implement any fire safety recommendations for social landlords.”

General and specific fire safety information is available on the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service website.

Local Senior Officer for Highland SFRS John MacDonald added: “We would remind communities we are here to support them,. Most notably through our a free Home Fire Safety Visits, where firefighters will provide safety advice and guidance on what to do in the event of an emergency.”

To book a free home fire safety visit call 0800 0731 999, text ‘FIRE’ to 80800 or visit www.firescotland.gov.uk where further information on how to stay safe can be found.