Fire safety in the home becomes even more important when there are children about. Your responsibilities are increased just when you seem to have less time to consider them - nothing can prepare you for the demands that children make on your lives.

It can be as easy to forget about the dangers posed by smoking materials and matches and lighters being left around, as it can with those new candles you have bought to make the place look more inviting. If left unsupervised children could get into all sorts of dangers, particularly where there are portable heaters and open fires. This is also a good time to remember the hazard of carbon monoxide and the need to service appliances. Keeping the chimney swept will guard against inadequate ventilation and prevent chimney fires.

Children can be a distraction when you are cooking so kitchen safety is of utmost importance.

As they get older children need more time on their own, often in their bedrooms. Here they may have a TV, Hi-Fi, computer etc. so it is important to consider electrical wiring and appliance problems. For peace of mind why not install an extra smoke alarm in their bedroom.

Ensuring your children know what to do in the event of a fire is very important and all the family must be involved in the formulation of an escape plan. This will include making a 999 call to the Fire Brigade and understanding the consequences of making hoax calls.

Outside the home, November 5th presents dangers with fireworks and the summer time could find you entertaining the whole family around the barbecue. Further afield, a picnic will need an appreciation of countryside care and if you are considering a caravan holiday have a look at our advice page on caravan safety.

All Surrey households can receive a free home fire safety visit that looks to minimise the risk of fire in the home.

Take a look at our Kids' Pages.

See our fire prevention and detection pages for other information on fire safety issues.