It’s National Fire Safety Week, and to mark the week Fire Service personnel from across the country have been raising awareness for how you can protect yourself and your family.
National Fire Safety Week is run jointly with the Northern Ireland Fire and Rescue Service and is about enhancing fire safety, particularly in the home.
Letterkenny Fire Station hosted local children who were taught about the dangers of fire, and were given a demonstration of how dangerous a chip-pan fire can be.
The flames are between 15 and 20 feet high all from a half cup of water add to a boiling chip pan which was added in a controls environment by firefighter Kevin Boylan. Photo Brian McDaid
This year’s theme is “STOP Fire – Working Smoke Alarms Save Lives”.
STOP stands for:
- Smoke alarms: Make sure you have at least one on every floor.
- Test your smoke alarms weekly: Test your smoke alarm weekly, or ask someone to check it for you.
- Obvious dangers: Look for fire risks like overloaded sockets, candles and unattended appliances.
- Plan your escape route: Keep access routes clear and have your keys at the ready.
Fit smoke alarms today and make sure they are in good working order. Working smoke alarms will warn you if there is a fire. Remember, your sense of smell does not work when you are asleep and smoke can put you in a deeper sleep.
Fire Fighter Kevin Boylan show how a fire blanket of a wet dishcloth can starve a fire of Oxygen.
If someone in the home is deaf, or has impaired hearing, they may not hear an audible warning from a smoke alarm, e.g. if not wearing a hearing aid at night. There are smoke alarm systems on the market that use strobe lights or vibrating pads to give alert of danger from fire. These offer improved warning for people who may have difficulty hearing a smoke alarm with audible warning.
Smoke alarms may be tested by pressing the test button with the handle tip of a floor brush.
Replace the batteries when they are not working and once a year in standard alarms, or as soon as you hear the warning beep.
If you have 10 year smoke alarms, you need to replace the whole alarm after 10 years.
Get at least one smoke alarm for each floor in the home. Fit them between the sleeping areas and the kitchen & living rooms – one in the hallway at ground floor, and one at each upper level, in the landing. For an enhanced level of protection, consideration may also be given to fitting alarms in living rooms and kitchen, in bedrooms used by vulnerable people, or in bedrooms where there is a television or large electrical appliance (such as a computer). (Heat alarms may be considered where fumes from cooking or smoke from cigarettes or open fires could lead to unwanted alarms.)
Position smoke alarms at ceiling level in accordance with manufacturer’s instructions.
Vacuum the smoke alarms regularly and wipe the cover. If they get clogged with dust they may not work properly.
All of these tips; performing a Routine Fire Safety Check, should only take a couple of minutes but it could mean the difference between Life and Death.
National Fire Safety Week has its roots in the Great Chicago Fire, which occurred on October 8, 1871. The former American President, Calvin Coolidge, proclaimed the first National Fire Prevention Week in 1925 in memory of those who perished in that Fire. Since then, in early October, it has been observed each year in countries around the world.
Many years on, the message regarding fire prevention and fire safety is as relevant today as it ever was.
Photography: Brian McDaid.
Tags: