Brigade reissues essential white goods safety advice following Grenfell Fire

London Fire Brigade is reissuing essential advice to people about white goods safety following the announcement that the Grenfell Tower fire started in a fridge freezer.

The Metropolitan Police today announced that the fire was not started deliberately and originated in a fridge freezer. The investigation has identified the make and model as a Hotpoint FF175BP and that this model has not been subject to any product recall.

The Government is asking consumers who believe they may own a Hotpoint fridge freezer model number FF175BP (white) or FF175BG (grey) to call Whirlpool Corporation’s freephone hotline on 0800 316 3826 or visit www.hotpointservice.co.uk/fridgefreezer to register their details for further updates.

What to do if you think there's a problem with your appliance

A London Fire Brigade spokesperson said:

“Almost every home is fitted with kitchen appliances such as fridge freezers, washing machines and tumble dryers and most work safely without incident. However issues with these appliances can sometimes arise and it’s important that people know what to do to check whether their fridge, freezer and other white goods are safe.

“If any of your appliances starts making a strange noise, don’t ignore it. If you think there may be a problem always unplug it and contact the manufacturer or a qualified appliance repair technician.

“You can also check to see whether it is the subject of a product recall by visiting the Government’s product  recall site and you should follow our basic safety advice on guarding against fires in white goods.“

Immediate steps you can take to guard against fires in white goods

• If you think there may be a problem with an electrical appliance that you own always unplug it and contact the manufacturer or a qualified appliance repair technician
• Check whether an electrical product is subject to recall
• Fit a minimum of one smoke alarm per floor and fit enough alarms to cover all areas where a fire could start, making sure they are tested regularly
• Plan how you would get out in the event of a fire in your home
• If a fire does start, don't try to fight the fire. Get out, stay out and call the Brigade immediately
• Make sure white goods are not positioned in escape routes so if they do catch fire they don't block your way out of the property

It is also important to register your appliance so that if any issues arise, the manufacturer can contact you

What we are calling for

The Brigade’s spokesperson added: “While we can’t talk about the circumstances of the tragic fire at Grenfell Tower this latest development throws into sharp focus how important it is to ensure defective appliances are removed from homes across the UK. Our Total Recalls campaign is calling on the government and manufacturers to implement a number of changes to make all white goods safer."

In particular our campaign is calling for:

• A single Government backed product recall data base. The Government has set up a portal to recall databases at www.gov.uk/productrecall
• Recalls notices to be better publicised to reduce confusion
• Greater regulation of second hand appliances
  
• Changes to the way that fridges and freezers are manufactured e.g simple things like having a back made from material that would protect the insulation material from the components in the appliance, which could cause a fire. This can make a difference to how quickly a fire spreads.
• For all appliances to be marked with a model and serial number
• The inclusion of sleeping as a factor in risk assessments

It’s important to stress that these calls relate to all white goods and are not a comment on the circumstances around the Grenfell Tower fire.

People with concerns about product safety can also call the Citizens Advice consumer service line on 03454 04 05 06 or the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy helpline on 0300 123 1016. The government website on product recalls, which will be updated should further action on the product be necessary, can be found at www.gov.uk/productrecall.

The Brigade’s Total Recalls campaign is calling for manufacturers to make a number of changes to the way they currently operate to improve white goods’ safety