Creating safer homes requires more than the installation of reliable technology. It also depends on education, collaboration and ensuring that residents and housing professionals understand the important role home life safety systems play.
Aico’s ongoing work with Dacorum Borough Council demonstrates how our Connected Home technology and community engagement can work together to protect residents and build greater awareness of fire safety.
Supporting Safer, Healthier Homes
Dacorum Borough Council is undertaking a comprehensive programme to install Aico home life safety devices throughout its housing portfolio.
The programme includes Aico’s Multi-Sensor Fire Alarms, Carbon Monoxide alarms and Environmental Sensors, helping the council protect residents while gaining greater insight into conditions within its homes using the Gateway
By combining Aico’s life safety devices with their Connected Home technology, Dacorum Borough Council can support safer, healthier and warmer homes while meeting its responsibilities as a landlord.
However, the partnership extends beyond the technology itself.
Education Across the Community
Aico’s ethos is that effective home life safety begins with understanding. Training and education therefore form an important part of its work with Dacorum Borough Council and the wider community.
Residents are supported in understanding how the alarms and sensors within their homes operate, including how they should be tested and maintained.
Aico also provides training to council teams, electrical contractors and supply chain partners at their Centre of Excellence, helping to ensure that devices are installed correctly and that everyone involved understands the relevant standards and requirements.
The partnership also supports the future workforce. Through engagement with organisations such as West Herts College in Hemel Hempstead, Aico can share knowledge with trainee electricians and help the next generation of installers develop practical skills and a strong understanding of domestic fire safety.
This approach helps create consistency across the entire process, from product specification and installation through to ongoing resident support.
From Council Training to Scouts
An unexpected community opportunity emerged during a training session delivered to Dacorum Borough Council employees.
While discussing home life safety, housing conditions and the changing regulatory landscape, the council’s Compliance Manager identified a connection between Aico’s work and their role as a local Scout Leader.
The Scout movement encourages young people to “Be Prepared” and develop “Skills for Life”. These values closely align with Aico’s commitment to helping everyone understand risks, prevent fires and protect their homes.
The conversation led to Aico supporting a local Scout group with a practical fire safety session and resources to help members work towards their Fire Safety Activity Badge.
“At Aico, we recognise that achieving real home life safety requires more than just hardware. It takes education, engagement and strong community partnerships.” – Ben Malton Relationship Manager at Aico
Developing Skills for Life
Many Scouts already have an understanding of fire safety through outdoor activities, including managing campfires and learning about the fire triangle.
The session gave them an opportunity to apply this knowledge within a domestic setting.
Using fire safety demonstration equipment, Aico alarms and educational resources, the Scouts explored common household fire risks and the steps that can be taken to prevent fires from starting.
They also learned about the importance of smoke alarms, creating an emergency escape plan and knowing how to leave a property safely during a fire.
A practical demonstration introduced the Scouts to different alarm sounds and showed them how alarms can be tested, inspected and kept clean. This gave the group skills that they could take home and share with their families.
Creating a Culture of Safety
The partnership between Aico, Dacorum Borough Council and the local Scout group show how professional training can lead to meaningful engagement within the wider community.
What began as a programme supporting housing compliance and resident safety created an opportunity to equip young people with practical knowledge that could help protect them, their families and their homes.
By bringing together, professional education and community engagement, Aico is helping to create a culture in which everyone has a role to play in home life safety.
Because being prepared does not only mean having the correct alarms installed. It means understanding the risks, knowing what action to take and having the confidence to help keep others safe.
To find out how Aico can help support training or educational initiatives, contact your local Relationship Manager here
