Fire safety campaign launched in Scotland

22nd Nov 2012

The Scottish Government and the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service have launched a new campaign to promote the importance of fire safety in the home during winter.
Don't Give Fire a Home urges householders not to be complacent when it comes to fire hazards, especially at this time of year when the risks are greater.
As part of the campaign a special map has been created showing Scotland's Hottest Postcodes. It highlights the most common areas for house fires around the country.
The highest concentration of incidents last year occurred in cities such as Glasgow, Edinburgh and Dundee. However, campaigners are keen to stress than fires can and do occur anywhere.
Scotland's community safety and legal affairs minister Roseanna Cunningham noted that the number of house fires north of the border is at its lowest level in ten years.
But this doesn't mean homeowners should ignore the dangers, particularly in the run up to the festive season when celebrations can bring additional hazards.
"Smoking, alcohol consumption, cooking accidents, misuse of electrical appliances or the overloading of electrical sockets are all potential risks," she remarked.
Alex Clark, deputy chief officer of the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service, added: "Historically as we go into the winter months we see a rise in the number of accidental dwelling fires.
"This can be for a number of reasons from people spending more time in their homes to an increased reliance on electrical products like heaters, tumble dyers and electric blankets and the use of log and coal burning fires."
He said there are a number of very simple steps householders can take to protect themselves and their families this winter, from fitting smoke detectors to avoiding cooking after drinking alcohol.

Free home fire safety visits by fire and rescue service personnel are also available, helping people to assess the fire risks in their home and take steps to address them, he pointed out.

From @fireindustry