The guide library
Find the answer, and the reason behind it.
Every guide covers one idea: a short answer, why it matters, what to do, and the rule to remember — with its source and region.
In a real fire, get out first and call your local emergency number. This site is for learning and preparation — it never replaces emergency services.
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Make your home fire-ready in one evening
The three things that matter most at home: working smoke alarms, an escape plan everyone knows, and knowing when to fight a fire and when to leave.
All guides
Browse the library
What to do if a pan catches fire
Turn off the heat, cover the pan, and never use water. How to leave instead.
Get out, stay out — escaping a house fire
Crawl low under smoke, check doors for heat, and meet outside.
Where smoke alarms should go
Which rooms and levels need an alarm, and the spots to avoid.
Planning two ways out of every room
Draw your plan, pick a meeting point, and practise it twice a year.
Space heaters without the risk
Clearance, plugs and the habits that keep heaters from starting fires.
The fire tetrahedron, explained
Heat, fuel, oxygen and the chain reaction — and how removing one stops a fire.
What flashover is and why it matters
How a room goes from one burning object to fully involved in moments.
How smoke moves through a building
Why smoke, not flames, is the main danger, and how it spreads.
What a fire warden does
Everyday checks, drills and the role on the day of an evacuation.
Fire classes and extinguisher labels
Classes A, B, C, D and K, and how to read the label before you need it.
Fire classes in Europe and the UK
Classes A–F, extinguisher colour bands, and how they differ from the US.
Fight or flee: when to use an extinguisher
The conditions that must all be true before you try — and the PASS method.
Inside a fire engine: the kit firefighters use
Hoses, breathing apparatus and thermal cameras, and what each one is for.
Packing a wildfire go-bag
What to keep ready so you can leave in minutes, not hours.
Defensible space around your home
The zones around a house and what to clear in each one.
Guides marked "General" apply everywhere. Others name the system they follow — choose your region in the header.
Learning paths
Learn one skill, step by step
Short runs of guides in the right order, each ending with a tool to put it into practice.
Make your home fire-ready
- Where smoke alarms should go
- Testing and replacing alarms
- Two ways out of every room
- Fight or flee
How fire works
- The fire tetrahedron
- How fire spreads
- How smoke moves
- What flashover is
Fire warden basics
- What a fire warden does
- Fire classes and labels
- Running a fire drill
- Keeping escape routes clear
Inside every guide
The same clear shape, every time
Once you have read one guide, you know where to find everything in the next. Guides about a fire in progress always open with the emergency steps.
How we write and check →Topic, level, region
And who reviewed it.
Emergency steps
On fire-in-progress guides.
Short answer
Two or three plain sentences.
Why it matters
The fire behaviour behind.
What to do
Steps in order.
Mistakes and myths
What people get wrong.
The rule to remember
One statement, with source.
Tools, terms, sources
And the next guide to read.
Guides FAQ
Questions about our guides
Each guide is checked against at least one primary source — typically NFPA codes, USFA guidance, or UK Approved Document B. The reviewer's role and the date of the last review are shown at the bottom of each guide page.
Fire classes, extinguisher colour codes and alarm placement rules differ between countries. US (NFPA) means the guidance follows NFPA standards. EN/UK follows BS EN standards and UK Building Regulations. General means the guidance applies everywhere.
A guide tagged "Fire in progress" gives instruction for the moment a fire is happening — for example, what to do if a pan catches fire. These guides are reviewed with extra care and always tell you to evacuate and call emergency services when the fire is beyond your control.
Guides are reviewed whenever the underlying standard changes or a reader reports an error. NFPA revises codes every 2–3 years; UK guidance follows the Building Regulations amendment cycle. The review date on each guide tells you when it was last checked.
No. These guides are for education and general understanding. A legal fire-risk assessment — required for most UK workplaces under the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 and for US commercial premises — must be carried out or reviewed by a qualified assessor. Always check your local fire code.