Fire safety - medium and low rise

The content on this page deals with:

Buildings which are under 18 metres or seven floors
Sheltered housing
Support buildings
Extra-care facilities

If you live in a high rise building, we have specific information on the safety provision for these sites. Please visit our high rise safety building page.

Relevant legislation

Southampton City Council is committed to full compliance with legislation which governs fire safety.

These regulations include:

Fire Risk Assessments

These are completed within a schedule dependant on the risk of the buildings. Sheltered housing and sleeping accommodation assessments are completed more regularly due to their specific risks.

In addition, we also complete the following safety checks on our buildings which include.

Fire door inspections are undertaken in line with the fire safety legislation
Smoke control and extraction systems
Dry risers are tested/checked every six months
Fire alarms are tested/serviced every six months
Emergency lighting is checked monthly
Fire safety information is regularly included in Tenants' Link, the online tenants publication. Sign up for Tenants' Link

Houses in Multiple Occupation (HMO) safety and standards

You can find more fire safety advice on our general FAQs page.

Fire prevention

The best way to control fire is to prevent one in the first place. You can find government advice, as well as information on e-bikes and e-scooters, on our fire prevention page.

What can I do about fire safety in my building?

Southampton residents can play their role in helping to keep their family and neighbours safe by completing Safe and Sound, Hampshire Fire and Rescue Service's personalised home fire safety checker.