A hard hitting short film has been released by Kent Fire and Rescue asking what families would do to escape “the thing of nightmares.”

The video coincides with the release of the new Stephen King horror film ‘IT’, which shows a group of youngsters having to overcome their greatest fears.

The service hopes viewers will take the steps needed to ensure that they are never caught up in their own nightmare.

Video: Firefighters are urging householders to test their alarms

The KFRS parody features a red balloon, which represents the fear of a house fire or fire itself.

The balloon makes its way into a family home, only to be stopped by a firefighter who reaches up to test the home’s smoke alarm.

The video urges the audience: “Don’t be a clown” and to “Test ‘IT’ weekly” with further guidance around keeping safe and practicing escape routes.

Head of Community Safety at KFRS, Ian Thomson said: “We’re always trying to find new ways to reach different audiences to encourage them to think about safety particularly in the home.

"By jumping on the back of the excitement of the movies, we hope people will relate to our films and take on board their safety messages.

Ian added: “By using the red balloon to represent fear of fire or fire itself, we are tapping into generating potential behaviour change through the use of emotions and protecting those we love the most – our family, pets and home.”

The Stephen King film IT,based on the 1986 novel of the same name, is released in British cinemas on Friday.