Know the Fire Risk
Fire safety and emollient skin products
The ‘Know the Fire Risk’ campaign highlights the potential fire hazards associated with emollient creams, which are widely used for treating skin conditions. This campaign is particularly relevant to fire service professionals involved in prevention, communications, protection, and fire investigation, as they need to be aware of the updated fire safety guidance and the specific risks associated with these products.
Research findings
- Initial studies by Anglia Ruskin University revealed that emollients, when soaked into fabrics, can significantly increase the fire risk, irrespective of their paraffin content. This challenged the earlier belief that only emollients with more than 50% paraffin posed a risk.
- Follow-up research conducted by De Montfort University examined the fire risk based on various types of emollients and fabrics. This provided a more nuanced understanding of how different products interact with textiles and heightened fire hazards.
Labelling and Fire Hazard Warnings:
In 2018 NFCC endorsed recommendations for emollient products to carry fire hazard warnings on their labels. This decision was based on research which evidenced that all emollients can pose a fire risk when absorbed by fabrics, even if they contain no paraffin or low paraffin levels.
Collaboration with Regulatory and Academic Bodies:
NFCC collaborated with the Medicines & Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) and academic researchers to thoroughly understand the fire risks linked to emollients and to develop effective safety advice for people who use and prescribe emollient creams. In 2020 NFCC and MHRA launched a joint campaign – Know the Fire Risk.
A number of joint resources are available to support the campaign.
A Welsh version of the video can be found on YouTube Safe use of emollients – Welsh subtitles
More information about the different types of emollients can be found on the NHS website.
Who is most at risk?
If people regularly apply emollients to a large area of their body and they are:
- aged over 40
- smokers
- experiencing limited mobility or slow mobility
- living alone
- receiving care
The risk associated with emollients is covered in NFCC’s Person-centred Framework and the Online Home Fire Safety Check. NFCC learning modules around the eight core components of the Person-centred Framework are available to support prevention staff.
Emollient safety can be included in wider advice for fire safety in the home. Possible areas for inclusion are smoking, candle and cooking safety on websites, and engagement and literature for the public.
Emollients
Emollients are an important and effective treatment for many skin conditions, and people should continue using them if they need to.
What are emollient skin products?
They are moisturisers which may contain paraffin or other products like shea or cocoa butter, beeswax, lanolin, nut oil or mineral oils and they work by covering the skin with a protective film or barrier which keeps the moisture in.
Are they only available on prescription?
Emollients are commonly prescribed by GPs, nurses and other clinicians over long periods of time to treat skin conditions such as psoriasis, eczema and sores. Many of these products can also be purchased over the counter in chemists and supermarkets.
Are emollients safe to use?
Yes, they are. We encourage their use as recommended by medical professionals and by following the manufacturer’s instructions. But, it’s important for users to be aware of and manage the fire risk associated with these products, particularly when they are absorbed into fabrics.
Are emollients flammable?
Emollients themselves are not directly flammable, if you put a match to a sample of emollient skin product it would not ignite. They can significantly increase the flammability of fabrics when absorbed into materials such as clothing, bedding, or bandages. It’s important that fabrics with emollient residue are not exposed to a naked flames or heat sources.
So, why should I be concerned?
Regular use of these products over several days, can lead to them soaking into clothing, bedding and bandages/dressings. This residue then dries within the fabric. If you then introduce an ignition or heat source such as
- Accidentally dropping a cigarette, lighted match or lighter
- Sitting too near to a gas, halogen, or open fire
- Catching clothing on a hob when cooking
it can cause a fire to develop, burn intensely and spread rapidly. This could lead to a serious injury or death. People who smoke or that have reduced mobility should be especially aware of the risk.
Fire safety advice for emollient users
Emollients are an important and effective treatment to prevent or treat skin conditions. However, it’s important to be aware of fire safety risks. Fabrics with dried-on emollient can become highly flammable. To reduce the risk, avoid exposure to naked flames, smoking, or other heat sources if fabrics may be contaminated. Wash clothing and bedding regularly to help reduce the build-up of residue, but please note that washing will not completely remove the risk. Be aware of the risk and take steps to reduce the risk of an emollient fire.
Smoking
If you smoke and regularly use emollients, you can reduce your risk.
Seek advice on quitting. You can find information and advice on quitting on the NHS Smoke Free website. It’s a good idea to speak with your GP as you are more likely to succeed in quitting with support. The NHS can also provide advice on alternative stop smoking treatments and aids. Nicotine replacement products remove the use of naked flame when lighting a cigarette, or the heat source if you were to drop a cigarette on contaminated fabrics.
If you don’t want to quit or are not ready to quit, never smoke wearing clothes which are contaminated with emollients. Wearing uncontaminated clothes or using a smoking apron may help reduce the risk as it could prevent a dropped match or cigarette coming into contact with your clothing.
Don’t smoke in bed, we never advise this due to the risk of falling asleep when smoking. For emollient users this is a greater risk because bed sheets and night clothes can be contaminated. As with all fabrics which may have emollient residue, we advise these items are washed regularly at the highest temperature on the care instructions. This will not completely remove the risk but can reduce it.
Depending on the person’s needs supervised smoking can also help to reduce the risk.
Cooking
You can reduce the risk when cooking by making sure you don’t cook when wearing clothes contaminated with emollients when using gas or electric hobs.
Cooking with products with no flame and less or no direct heat will reduce the risk, so it’s safer to cook using a microwave, air fryer or induction hob.
Where possible consider eating meals that have been prepared and easily reheated in a microwave or meals that do not need cooking.
Candle safety
Take care when using candles. You must keep fabrics contaminated with emollients away from naked flames.
Be careful when lighting candles so you do not drop a match or lighter onto clothing or furnishings, ensure you clothes don’t have emollient on them or ask someone else to light them. It’s safer to use LED candles.
Keeping warm
Don’t sit too close to open fires, electric bar, gas or halogen heaters. Make you sit at least 1 metre away. Remember that furniture with fabric covers and soft furnishings may also have emollient residue so ensure they are away from the heat source, and you can consider using washable throws over fabric furnishings to reduce the contamination of these. You should regularly wash any throws at the highest temperature on the care instructions.
Washing fabrics to reduce the risk
Wash fabrics such as clothes, bed sheets and furniture throws regularly at the highest temperature indicated on the care instructions to try and remove any residue. This may reduce the risk but will not eliminate it.
Do not dry these fabrics on or in front of heaters.
If using a tumble dryer use a cooler temperature setting and ensure it runs the full cycle including the cool down cycle. Allow items to cool fully before folding to allow any heat to dissipate.
Reducing Risk: Information for Carers and Support Workers
A video resource has been developed to help domiciliary care providers, support workers, health professionals, and informal carers understand and reduce the fire risks linked to emollient use when providing care in people’s homes.
It was developed following research by De Montfort University, supported by NFCC, which examined 84 emollient-related incidents reported by UK Fire and Rescue Services between 2015 and 2022.
- 43% of fatalities occurred in privately owned homes.
- Smoking and living alone were common contributing factors.
- 71% of those who died were aged 65 or older, often with health vulnerabilities and care packages in place.
This video provides practical advice and supports partnership working to help reduce the risk and keep people safe at home.
The video contains content which some viewers may find distressing, including real-life imagery and discussions related to fire injuries and fatalities involving emollient creams.
Fire and rescue services are encouraged to share this resource with partner agencies and within their communities to raise awareness and help prevent serious incidents.
The video provides advice to carers on actions that can be taken to record and mitigate risk including:
- Complete a person-centred risk assessment which the NFCC Fire risk checklist for domiciliary care providers, can be used to complete this. Additional information and the checklist can be found here: Fire risk checklist for domiciliary care providers – NFCC
- The Online Home Fire Safety Check as a route into fire and rescue services: the tool includes shortcut option for carers as referral route into services.
- Information and leaflets produced as part of the Know the Fire Risk campaign.
A captioned Welsh language version is also available here: Final Welsh carers emollient video on Vimeo
The video was created in collaboration with Norfolk Fire and Rescue Service. Fire and rescue services can find out more about this work, and how Norfolk addressed the issue following emollient-related incidents in their region, by logging into the website to access the full case study: Know the Fire Risk: Norfolk Fire and Rescue Service Case Study – NFCC
Online Home Fire Safety Check
Anyone who uses emollients should be aware of the risk. Advice based on a person’s home and needs can be provided by completing an online home fire safety check.
The check can be completed by an individual, friend or caregiver. A fire safety action plan will be provided with advice to reduce the risk of fire. If required an in-person visit from the fire service can be made. This visit may, if required, include installing smoke alarms.
The tool can also be used by professionals who feel a person will benefit from fire safety advice. Once the postcode has been inputted there is an option to select the sector you work in, and it takes about 5 minutes complete the initial risk triage.
For your free online home fire safety check, visit www.ohfsc.co.uk
Yellow Card Reporting Scheme
The Yellow Card Scheme, operated by MHRA, is a tool for collecting and monitoring safety concerns related to healthcare products, including emollients. It covers the entire UK and plays a key role in enhancing public health and safety by identifying risks associated with medicines, medical devices, and other healthcare products.
Anyone can report a safety concern – including fire and rescue services. If a fatality or injury is confirmed or suspected to be linked to emollients, NFCC advise it is reported on the Yellow Card Scheme, in addition to any fire data recording.
In 2018, the Yellow Card Scheme played a crucial role in the decision to update emollient product labels to include fire hazard warnings. These reports provided evidence of the potential risks associated with emollient use and helped prompt regulatory changes that now require warning labels, improving consumer awareness and safety.
To learn more or to report an incident, visit the Yellow Card Scheme website or download the Yellow Card app. By contributing to the scheme, fire and rescue services and the public can help prevent further incidents and contribute to ongoing safety improvements for emollient users and others.
Correct messaging will reduce preventable deaths and ensure compliance with legislation
It is important that information on websites is reviewed, and all information supplied to people is correct. Ensure you review any leaflets or information provided to the public, carers, or care homes so it is consistent with national fire safety advice and consistent across your fire service. This includes advice given by staff as part of a home fire safety visit.
Understanding and addressing the risks of emollient use is important for people who have responsibilities under both fire safety and care legislation in the UK. Provision of safe care includes potential fire risks, so they may be liable for mitigating the risk under both areas of legislation.
Two recent fires involving emollients were submitted to the BAFSA Sprinkler Saves website. The cases highlight the importance of a properly installed and maintained sprinkler system the fire risk of emollients.
Downloads
Know the Fire Risk Leaflet
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PDF download Print ready available from communications@nfcc.org.uk
DownloadKnow the Fire Risk Social Media Resources English
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DownloadKnow the Fire Risk Social Media Resources Welsh
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