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Forming a Partnership with Devon & Somerset Fire & Rescue Service


Devon & Somerset Fire & Rescue Service (DSFRS) are committed to improving community safety to reduce the number of deaths and serious injuries in the home. As part of this commitment, they carry out Home Fire Safety Visits to those who need them the most. And a visit can be arranged through self-referral or a referral from a Partner Agency.

Partner Agencies are organisations which have undertaken DSFRS’s free Trigger Point Awareness (TPA) sessions to enable a faster referral process; Partners are provided with a referral code upon completion of the TPA sessions and are then able to bypass the eligibility screening process using this referral code.

TPA sessions take approximately one hour to complete, and the aim of the sessions is to make staff and volunteers more aware of the signs which indicate a risk from fire. By the end of the session participants will be able to identify some of the potential risks the people they visit face and will also know the correct procedure to make a referral to enable a Home Fire Safety Visit to be carried out. This helps DSFRS reach vulnerable people, so that together we can help to keep them safer.

Some examples of key indicators that might trigger a referral include the following:

  • someone in the property smokes in bed
  • evidence of burn marks on soft furnishings / carpets
  • significant amounts of belongings within the property i.e. blocked escape routes
  • signs of overloaded sockets
  • no smoke alarms
  • someone cannot hear a standard smoke alarm

When a referral is made, a Home Safety Technician will carry out a free Home Fire Safety Visit and will be able to assess the degree of risk the person or family is facing, taking the appropriate action to reduce the risks and help prevent a fire or incident. This can include the fitting of a smoke alarm or hard of hearing alarm (for those with hearing loss), supplying fire retardant throws and/or bedding amongst other specialist equipment as well as advising the occupants on safe escape routes and what to do in the event of a fire. It can also be arranged that a confirmation email is sent out to a set email address, so partner agencies can receive notification that a visit referred by them has been completed.

All services relating to Home Safety visits are provided completely free of charge.

For more information or to arrange an awareness session, please contact Yaz Murfin, Partnerships Officer, via email ymurfin@dsfire.gov.uk or telephone 01392 872326.


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