High-rise and communal living safety
Living in a high-rise block or communal building, such as sheltered accommodation, doesn’t mean you are any more at risk from fire, but it does mean you need to consider your fire safety and the impact a fire in your home could have on other residents.
It’s important to understand what to do in the event of a fire, whether it’s in your flat or somewhere else in the building.
We have improved safety standards across all our blocks and buildings, which includes a communal fire alarm system that links directly to the fire service, as well as sprinklers for some blocks.
We also have a specialist Building Safety Team, a High-Rise Team and Property Safety Officers who will be familiar faces around your building. They also carry out annual Home Safety Checks in your home.
Evacuation Strategy
To keep all residents safe, each of our high-rise buildings follows one of two evacuation strategies. Your building’s strategy is based on professional fire safety assessments, and is agreed with Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service.
These are the two types of evacuation strategy:
Stay Safe (Stay Put):
This means that if there is a fire in your flat you should leave the flat and the building. If there is a fire somewhere else in the building, you can remain in your flat and do not need to leave the building.
Unless you see smoke or fire, or hear the communal alarm sounding, or you are told by the fire service to leave the building, then you are safer in your home.
Simultaneous Evacuation:
This means that if a fire is detected anywhere in the building, everyone must evacuate, even if your flat does not seem to be affected. If you hear the alarm or are instructed to leave by a fire warden, the fire service, or another official, please evacuate the building immediately.
Where to find your building’s evacuation strategy
Please refer to your individual block page to find out the Evacuation Strategy for your building.
This is also clearly signposted in communal areas.
Low-rise buildings
Low-rise buildings do not have communal fire alarms. If you hear your domestic smoke alarm or if you see fire or smoke, you must leave the building straight away.
If you feel unsure about what to do, please contact us – we’re here to help keep you safe.
Important safety information
All our tower blocks and communal buildings have fire doors, this includes the front door to your home, and they are designed to help stop the spread of fire.
It’s really important that you don’t prop fire doors open, or make any alterations to them that could affect the protection they offer in the event of a fire. This includes things like drilling or knocking nails into your door to attach any signs or decoration.
All our fire doors are self-closing, so in the event of a fire they will automatically close behind you and help stop the fire from spreading. Please don’t remove or tamper with the self-closing devices on your door.
Some of our buildings have sprinkler systems installed. Sprinklers are widely recognised as the most effective method for controlling the spread of fire in the early stages.
It’s a legal requirement that all flat entrance doors are inspected every year. Our Property Safety Officers carry out these inspections as part of their home safety checks, however residents can also complete their own door checks.
If you do complete your own door check, we will ask you to complete a short survey about your front door – these checks will take no longer than 10 minutes and require no technical knowledge or tools.
We’ll let you know when your annual door safety inspection is due.
Our Property Safety Officers carry out safety checks with individual customers who live in our high rise buildings. This is to make sure all the possible safety precautions are in place in your home and that they work for you.
The visit only takes around half an hour and allows us to check all the safety aspects of your home such as your smoke alarms, electrical sockets, windows and doors. We’ll also talk to you about the evacuation procedure for your building and any safety information specific to your home and building.
Live in a high-rise building?
During an emergency, such as a fire, the lifts will not be working, which means you must leave the building using the stairs.
If you have any mobility issues, medical conditions or disabilities that may prevent you evacuating your home without assistance, it’s important that you tell us, so we can put the right support in place for you.
Fill in our Evacuating in an Emergency FormBuilding Safety Case Information
It’s a legal requirement that all housing associations, like Salix Homes, share key safety and building information about our blocks, with customers living in high-rise buildings.
Find the key 'Building Safety Case' information for your block, which we share with the Building Safety Regulator.
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