Date: 24 February 2025
Dear resident
We have recently upgraded the fire alarm system in your building, which means we need to inform you about a few changes. These changes affect what you need to do if you hear the fire alarm sounding in your flat or in your corridor outside.
Before we carried out the upgrade, you were told to leave your flat and close the front door behind you if you discovered a fire in your own home. If there was a fire elsewhere in the building, the "Stay Put" policy advised you to stay in your own flat until the Fire and Rescue Service arrived.
Residents with mobility issues should keep to your existing evacuation plan, in order to leave the building safely.
We have made improvements to the fire alarm system in your corridor, and the three flats sited in your corridor, by fitting extra fire alarm detectors. The detectors are all radio link connected, so if there is a fire in your area, the fire detectors will all be activated in your corridor and the three flats. This new evacuation strategy does not affect people living in the flats in the North lift lobbies, and their smoke detection is not affected by these upgrade works.
If any of these detectors are activated by a fire, they will all be linked to each other and your sounder will tell you immediately there may be a fire. If this happens, we need you and your corridor neighbours to leave your homes and make your way out of the building by the nearest staircase. Please do not use lifts to evacuate the building - they may stop working if the fire alarm is activated, and you may be trapped within.
Once you are in the staircase, which is fire protected for at least 30 minutes, you have plenty of time to make your way down the stairs to the final exit to safety. Once you are outside the building, please wait for further instructions from the Fire and Rescue Service or the council's Housing Management team.
Fire safety in your building is our top priority and we want you to feel safer in your own home. This is why we are striving to make continuous improvements.
It is hoped that by upgrading the detection in your flats, false alarms resulting in the attendance of the Fire Service will also start to reduce. You can assist in this by not leaving ovens and hobs unattended while cooking.
We want you to have a voice and tell us if you have any concerns. We will act on your comments and let you know what we are doing about it.
You can view this letter and use our 'listen and translate' function by scanning the QR code below.
If you have any concerns or questions in relation to the improvements or the changes we are implementing, please do not hesitate to contact me on (0191) 433 3743.
Yours faithfully
Kirk Douglass
Building Safety Manager
Locality Services and Housing Options
Housing Environment and Healthy Communities
