Sunderland residents in Gentoo housing become fire safety ambassadors to help keep people safe

To coincide with Fire Door Safety Week, which runs from September 25-29, six tenants were shown around the training facility of contractor Isoler, where they took part in practical fire safety demonstrations and received expert advice from staff.

The group are all members of Gentoo’s Building Safety Customer Group, which ensures they have a voice on building safety matters. The visit is also aimed at helping them in their roles as fire safety ambassadors for the properties where they live.

Thomas Cubby, who chairs the group, said: “It was a really interesting day learning about fire doors.

"I now feel confident enough to speak to other Gentoo customers about why we need to make sure our fire doors are used correctly and how we can report them if we do think there is a problem.”

Michelle Wooton, who also lives in a Gentoo home, added: “It was educational, it showed what they do to help us and what it saves you from and what gives you more time, if there’s a fire in the property, to be able to leave.”

Gemma Darville, head of health and safety at Gentoo, said: “We’re delighted that we are able to work closely with Isoler to provide this type of training to our customers.

“We’re really lucky to have a passionate group of people who work closely with us to make sure all of our customers are safe in their homes.”

Gentoo has registered all its high-rise residential buildings and submitted all key building information with the Building Safety Regulator ahead of the Sunday, October 1 deadline as required under the Building Safety Act.

Anyone living in a Gentoo high-rise residential property who would like to be part of the Building Safety Customer Group can visit www.gentoogroup.com/get-involved for more information.

Fire Door Safety Week aims to raise people’s awareness of their vital role in saving lives and protecting property in the event of a fire. For more information, visit www.firedoorsafetyweek.co.uk.