Pelham Court - Safer in your home

Find out more about living safely in your home and what to do if there is a problem or if you are worried about a safety issue.

About Pelham Court

Pelham Court is a purpose-built block of traditional concrete and block construction with a flat roof. There is no high risk cladding of any type on the block.

Smoke detection is installed on the ground floor level of the communal area and each council owned property has smoke alarms and CO detectors. If your smoke alarms are battery operated then contact the Compliance Team who will make arrangements for an upgrade to hard-wired alarms.

Hertfordshire Fire & Rescue Service advise that in blocks like this (six floors or above) you should ‘stay put’ unless a fire breaks out in the flat you are in. This is because your block was built as self-contained flats and a fire cannot easily spread from one flat to another. The walls, floors and doors are all designed to resist fire and smoke. If there is a fire in a flat, only the people in that flat need to evacuate the building. People in other flats would only need to leave if smoke was entering their home or if they felt vulnerable.

If you discover a fire in your flat:

• Immediately alert everyone in your flat and leave the building. Do not stop to collect personal possessions. Close your flat door behind you.
• Don’t delay getting out – it should not be necessary to alert residents of other flats.
• As soon as you are safely outside the building, call 999 (or 112 from a mobile) and alert the Fire Service.
• When the fire service arrives, tell them that your flat is clear.
• Call the Freephone Repairs line: 0800 018 6050 (option 2) and tell them that there is a fire in your building and that your home is affected. This line is answered 24 hours a day, every day of the year including Christmas day.
• Do not attempt to re-enter the building until a member of the Fire Service or DBC Staff tells you that it is safe to do so.

How we make you safer:

At Pelham Court:

• We carry out an annual Fire Risk Assessment and prioritise any actions identified.
• We inspect all communal doors four times every year.
• We will introduce annual inspections of all flat entrance doors and you will be contacted to provide access.
• We have a regular programme of routine checks of all fire safety systems/equipment.
• We check and maintain emergency lighting and lightning protection.
• We complete dry riser pressure testing.
• We regularly visit the communal areas of your block to check they are clear of obstructions or slip and trip hazards, and make sure they are safe. Please read our Safety In Communal Areas Policy for more details.

For Council tenants:

• We arrange gas safety checks every year to protect you and your neighbours’ homes.
• We test smoke and CO alarms as part of the annual gas safety check
• We carry out electrical safety tests every five years.

Leaseholders – Gas Safety Checks

We strongly recommend that all leaseholders should get annual gas safety checks and boiler servicing. This helps keep your own and your neighbours’ households safe.

Did you know that the company Sun Realm (our Gas Safety contractors), offer very affordable gas safety checks and boiler servicing for DBC leaseholders?

Click here or ring them directly on 01442 798 888 and be sure to tell them that you are a Dacorum Borough Council leaseholder.

Fire Safety Advice

Smoke Alarm Maintenance & Replacement If you feel your smoke alarm is faulty, please request a repair. Smoke alarms save lives by giving you vital extra seconds to escape a fire. All our tenanted homes are fitted with smoke detectors. To request a repair, visit our Report Repair page: http://www.dacorum.gov.uk/repairs

Home Fire Safety Check You can also get a free Home Fire Safety Check from Hertfordshire Fire & Rescue Service. Find out more information by visiting their website: https://www.hertfordshire.gov.uk

Electrical Safety in the Home Half of domestic fires are caused by electrical products or faults. Electrical Safety First have put together some great advice to help you keep your home and loved ones safe from electrical fires. Find more information here: https://www.electricalsafetyfirst.org.uk

Safe Battery Charging Whilst E-Scooters and E-Bikes offer a great way to get around, if the batteries become damaged or begin to fail they can start fires. The London Fire Brigade have provided some key information to help prevent fires starting, found here:https://www.london-fire.gov.uk/safety