What is an emergency?
An emergency situation is when the incident is dangerous, life threatening, causing serious deterioration of the property, or may result in personal injury, or public liability claim. If you have an emergency situation, e.g. water coming through the ceiling, you must seek help immediately. Depending on your emergency situation, you must either:
- Dial 999
- Follow your managing agent’s emergency protocol.Please refer to our guide on “What am I expected to do if…” I can smell gas?
As household boilers, gas fires, most central heating systems, and many ovens are fuelled by gas, leaks do sometimes occur. So just in case your home does suffer a gas leak, follow these safety guidelines on what to do if you smell something whiffy…
1. Use your nose
Your nose is your personal gas alarm. Domestic gas doesn’t actually have a smell, energy providers add it to the supply to enable you to sniff a gas leak out straight away. So always be aware of the smell of gas.
Got a blocked nose? Lost your sense of smell?
You’ll still be able to tell if there is a gas leak in your home. Physical symptoms can include: dizziness, fatigue, nausea, headaches and irregular breathing. So, if you find this happening to you when you’re inside but not out, you could have a gas leak. 2. Don’t be a bright spark
Don’t operate any electrical switches or create any flames, this includes flicking on a light switch and making sure you’ve turned off the cooker – and don’t even think about lighting a cigarette indoors!
3. Ventilate the property
Open windows and external door immediately to allow the gas to dissipate as quickly as possible.
4. Turn off gas at the meter
Not sure where the meter is?
Then make it a priority to find out. Call your gas supplier if you need help locating it.
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5. Call for professional help
Don’t attempt to sort the problem out yourself. Call for suitably qualified help immediately. Phone the National Gas Emergency Service on 0800 111 999 and immediately contact your managing agent.
6. Evacuate if necessary
If you have an unventilated basement or cellar that has a strong smell of gas, evacuate everyone from the building immediately. If the smell is overpowering in other areas of your home, you may also want to wait for help outside – but only after implementing the preceding safety measures.
- Tell the neighbours
Let your neighbours know if you think they may be affected by the leak – it’s better to be safe than sorry!
8. Wait for the all clear
If you’ve evacuated the premises, don’t let anyone (apart from the person sent to repair the leak, of course) back into the property. Wait to be given the all clear before going back inside.
I have a burst pipe?
- Fast action is the best way to minimise damage from a burst pipe, so:
- Collect water from the leak – if it’s through the ceiling, collect it in a bucket. If the ceiling bulges, pierce the plaster with a broom handle to let water through.
- Switch off your central heating.
- Turn off the stop tap and then turn on the taps to drain your water system.
- Don’t touch any wiring or switches that you think may have been affected. If in doubt, turn off your electricityat the mains.
- Contact your managing agent immediately.
- After the leak has been fixed, air the affected areas by keeping doors and windows open; do not overheataffected rooms as this could cause more damage.
After a flood
- Leave windows, doors and built-in cupboards open during the day, if possible.
- Keep affected rooms heated, but don’t over-heat them, as this could cause further damage.
The electricity has gone off?
If the lights have gone out, or your socket outlets have stopped working, a trip switch may have tripped. Trip switches are located in the fuse board, which are usually located near the electricity meter (often under the stairs). Each trip switch covers a particular wiring circuit in the house.
Firstly, note which circuit has failed, whether it is the lighting, or socket outlets, etc. If a lamp fails, or an appliance is faulty, this can cause the main trip switch to blow. So, before switching the trip switch back on again, disconnect the appliance from the circuit. If everything has gone off completely, it may be easier to switch all of the switches in the fuse board to the off position and turn them back on one by one in order to identify the problem circuit.
If you experience power failure, but no switches in the fuse board have tripped, you may want to check your neighbour’s power supply, or nearby street lighting, as there may be a power cut in your area. If in doubt, call your electricity provider (you will find their number on your electricity bill).
I misplace my keys?
If you should misplace your keys, or lock yourself out, please refer to your managing agent’s misplaced keys protocol.
Remember, if in doubt, dial 999