Fire safety for park homes

Fire is an increased risk on a park home site because:

• fuel is often stored near park homes
• some park homes are close to each other meaning fire can spread more easily
• some older park homes are made of timber (newer park homes are made to modern fire safety standards)

You are responsible for fire safety in your home, and the site owner is responsible for shared areas of the site. They should carry out a fire risk assessment of the site and put in place the recommendations. Fire risk assessments should be reviewed regularly.

To reduce the chance of a fire starting in your park home, you should:

• fit at least one smoke alarm and test it regularly. Change the batteries when needed. You should also have a carbon monoxide alarm
• keep a fire extinguisher and make sure you know what types of fire it can be used on
• store gas cylinders outside your home
• consider keeping a fire blanket in the kitchen
• check electrical appliances and sockets regularly for damage, and fix any issues
• do not overload multi-plug adaptors
• do not block vents
• do not leave cooking unattended, and never leave candles burning when you are not in the room
• plan how you would get out quickly if there was a fire

Even if your home meets fire safety standards, you should still check for fire risks nearby. For example, fire could spread from parked vehicles, gas bottles, sheds, or flammable materials kept close to another home.

If the risk is coming from a neighbour’s pitch, it’s usually best to raise it with them first. If that does not help, you can contact the site owner, who has a responsibility to fix fire safety issues.

The person responsible for fire safety on shared areas of the site is the licence holder (usually the site owner).

The responsible person must:

• carry out a fire risk assessment
• regularly review the fire fisk assessment
• put the proper fire safety measures in place

Fire risk assessments of park home sites

When assessing fire risk on a park home site, the site owner should consider:

• the distance between park homes – they should be 6 metres apart to prevent fire spread
• roads, gateways and footpaths, which should be kept clear at all times for emergency vehicles
• water supplies for firefighting
• making sure there is enough firefighting equipment on the site
• how a fire warning would be raised, for example by a battery or mains alarm or a siren
• making sure equipment is checked and maintained regularly by a competent person
• putting up notices that explain clearly what to do in the event a fire, including evacuation, raising the alarm or calling fire brigade
• dealing with fire hazards such as overgrown grass and vegetation, open fires, barbecues, and unsafe gas, heating or cooking arrangements
• access to an emergency telephone
• how liquid petroleum gas (LPG) is stored, including on individual pitches

The site licence conditions may include specific fire safety requirements for the site.

Find out more: site licensing

If fire safety standards are not met

If the site owner is not meeting their fire safety duties, you should try to raise the issue with them first. If that does not solve the problem, contact the local council.

Local councils can take enforcement action if the site owner does not comply with the site licence conditions. Non-compliance is a criminal offence.

The local council will sometimes carry out the work to meet fire safety standards.

GOV.UK: Find your local council

In any home, you should have an evacuation plan in place and know where to find the fire alarm, fire extinguisher and fire blanket. Check communal areas of the site for evacuation plans.

If you see signs of a fire in your park home:

• make sure everyone leaves the home immediately, avoiding smoke – do not waste time trying to collect things
• if safe to do so – before leaving, disconnect all fuel and LPG canisters, turn off your gas supply, and shut off the electricity
• call 999
• alert neighbours and the site owner to what is happening