House fire: Smoke alarm saves five year old child from fire
Early on Saturday morning a 5 year old child was saved from a house fire because the family had a working fire alarm, the emergency services announced.
Fire crews from Newcastle Emlyn, Crymych and Cardigan attended the fire at Capel Iwan to find on arrival, the roof well alight.
A working smoke alarm woke the occupants and ensured their safe removal, including that of the five-year-old girl who was sleeping in the loft. If this alarm had not operated then then Watch Manager Emyr Jones said he was convinced that they would now be dealing with a tragedy.
This really goes to show how vital a working smoke alarm can be in saving lives. If you haven’t got one, please get one today or if you have one make sure you test it and it is working correctly.
UK Fire Services pledge to improve fire safety for people with dementia
Fire and Rescue Services across the UK have pledged to improve the safety of people with dementia.
The scheme is part of the Governments challenge to help build dementia friendly communities across the UK. The scheme is being led by the Alzheimer’s Society and TV presenter, Angela Ripon.
The scheme aims to ensure families and carers are aware of potential fire risks, raising awareness of free home safety visits and advice and encouraging other local organisations to help build dementia friendly communities.
Frank Swann from Nottinghamshire Fire Service said: “We are committed to ensuring that vulnerable people, including those with dementia, can stay safe and independent in their own homes. The effects of fire can be devastating for families but, with advice and support, we can help people make small changes that make a big difference to their safety. Fire and rescue services around the country are already doing excellent work in their local communities, and we are all keen to work closely with colleagues in other sectors to identify those who need our help. This dementia challenge is a great opportunity to work towards creating safer communities for those with dementia.”
Sheffield Fire Service urge you to ‘Press The Button’
Fire chiefs in Sheffield are urging people to sign up to their Press The Button campaign in an attempt to get people to check that their smoke alarms are in working order.
The campaign comes after crews rescued a woman from her burning flat and discovered that the smoke alarm had been disconnected.
The woman was found face down on her bed at the Royal Exchange Works, Lady’s Bridge.
The fire started when a pan in the kitchen caught fire at around 2am.
Group manager Mick Mason said: “But for the swift actions of our fire crews, this could easily have been a much more serious incident. It’s shocking that people continue to disconnect smoke alarms, which can give them vital extra minutes to escape in the event of a fire.”
South Yorkshire’s firefighters have attended around 100 fires in homes where smoke alarms had been removed or where not working.
Visit www.pressthebutton.co.uk to sign up.
Gloucestershire fire service smoke alarm warning
Gloucestershire Fire Service are asking households to check that their smoke alarms are fitted in the correct place.
It is thought that there were around 3000 incidents last year where the smoke alarm was not triggered in a fire. Statistics have shown that the biggest reason why a smoke alarm will not sound in the event of a fire is because smoke did not reach the alarm in order to set it off.
Geoff Sallis, Deputy Chief Fire Officer, said: “The vast majority of us now have at least one smoke alarm in our homes. However, early detection and warning is vital to seriously reduce the devastation a fire can cause. You should make sure you have at least one working smoke alarm on every level of your home, preferably in hallways and landings. Placing smoke detectors in rooms where there are electrical appliances could give you the extra warning you need.”
Gloucestershire Fire and Rescue Service have advised households to have a fire alarm on each level, on the ceiling in the middle of a room or hallway. People should also make sure they test their alarms regularly.
South Yorkshire fire crews say NO to Small Incident Units.
South Yorkshire fire crews say that the introduction of small vans to replace fire engines will cause ‘intolerable risks’ to safety.
The fire service has said that Small Incident Units have already been in successful operation for around two years, with no reported accidents.
The small fire units are commercial vans painted fire service red with the addition of blue lights and high-visibility stripes. The vans are able to carry a limited amount of water.
John Gilliver from the Fire Brigade union said: “Fire professionals know every large fire starts as a small fire and we don’t always know what we will find when we arrive. Firefighters will be put at intolerable risk at incidents if they are deployed in these vans. If a small fire has spread to a building with people inside, then two or three firefighters are not enough to deal with that safely. Everything that makes you a firefighter will push you to enter the building, even with the greatly-heightened risk you will face. We face risks in the hostile environments in which we work, but we know how to limit the risks to us when there are enough personnel, equipment, proper procedures and training. These small fire units will not provide that. It places intolerable pressure on the officers in command at the scene and leaves them vulnerable if anything goes wrong. Firefighters have been killed in situations where there is a lack of personnel, equipment and training. This is all entirely foreseeable and the introduction of these vans is reckless and totally unacceptable.”
A spokesperson for the fire service said “We are extremely disappointed the FBU will still not allow its members to carry out the necessary training for the Small Incidents Unit, which has passed a series of rigorous and independent safety examinations and has responded to more than 700 fires successfully since August 2009. We are keen to introduce the SIU to Elm Lane station in full accordance with the Fire Authority’s decision following a full public consultation. It will respond to small incidents in the Sheffield area, keeping rescue pumps free to attend life-risk incidents. We have always stated the SIU will not be mobilised to any type of premise fire or vehicle fire. We remain committed to the introduction of the SIU to enhance fire cover in the Sheffield area and strongly urge the FBU to allow its members to begin training for the vehicle.”
What do you think?