Safety Centre
Staying safe in an electrical emergency
Plain-English guidance — when to call 999, how to check your consumer unit, what to switch off — written to be read once in advance, not for the first time mid-emergency.
Fire, smoke, injury, or water near electrics?
Call 999 first. Come back here once it’s safe.
Quick self-check
The same four questions Ideal Spark’s emergency intake asks — see the full explanation.
- Is there any fire, smoke, or a strong burning smell right now?
- Is anyone in immediate danger, or has anyone been injured?
- Is water leaking onto electrics, sockets, or the fuse board?
- If it's safe to do so, have you been able to switch the power off at the consumer unit or fuse board?
Guides
Know the difference
When to call 999 vs. book an electrician
Ideal Spark's emergency intake asks four short yes/no questions to work out how urgent a job is. They're reproduced exactly below, because knowing them in advance is more useful than reading them for the first time mid-emergency.
Power outage
What to do in a power outage, step by step
Most power outages have a mundane cause. Working through these steps in order tells you quickly whether it's your problem to fix or your supplier's.
Consumer units
Consumer unit (fuse board) basics
Your consumer unit — most people still call it "the fuse board" even though modern ones don't use fuses — is the single point every circuit in your home runs through. Understanding roughly what's in it makes the difference between a five-minute reset and an unnecessary emergency call-out.
Warning signs
Signs of a dangerous electrical fault
Electrical faults usually give some warning before they become dangerous. Knowing what to watch, listen and smell for means you can act while it's still just a warning sign.
Already dealt with the immediate danger and need an electrician? Get matched now →