A number of information events aimed at promoting fire safety will be held in County Limerick as part of National Fire Safety Week 2010, which runs until October 11th.
The Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government is hosting the 9th annual North-South initiative, in association with the National Safety Council and the Northern Ireland Fire and Rescue Service.
Limerick County Fire and Rescue Service is also hosting open days and demonstrations in Rathkeale and Abbeyfeale this week to help reduce the risk of fires in their homes, schools and workplaces.
The theme of this year’s initiative is ‘Smoke Alarms And Escape Plans Save Lives’.
To coincide with the launch of National Fire Safety Week, Limerick County Fire and Rescue Service has released figures showing a significant increase in the number of fire incidents around the county during the first nine months of 2010.
Between January and September of this year the Service was called out to 391 fire incidents – compared to 382 call outs for the entire of 2009.
Niall McMahon, Assistant Chief Fire Officer with Limerick County Fire and Rescue pointed out that the majority of the fire incidents attended by fire crews so far in 2010 have occurred in people’s homes.
“The cause of these fires ranged from heavily sooted and blocked chimneys, burning rubbish, electrical faults and most alarmingly from children playing with matches or candles. The risk of these fires occurring can be eliminated with the first and most important step being for the public to ensure they have a working smoke alarm in their home.
“To promote awareness of fire safety we hope to reduce the number of fires we attend. With assistance from the people of Limerick we hope achieve this target year on year by urging people to be more vigilant”, he added.
Meanwhile, Officer McMahon called on householders to exercise increased caution regarding fire safety during the coming winter months.
“As we enter into the winter period we begin to see fires being lit to warm people’s homes. However, we urge people to consider a number of measures to ensure that they remain warm and safe this winter. The measures include sweeping chimneys at least once a year, keeping a fire guard in front of a burning fire, extinguishing the fire before going to bed or leaving the house, and never using petrol or paraffin to light a fire.
“Every year in Ireland on average 50 people die in fires, the majority in their own homes. Most of these deaths occur at night. The biggest killer is smoke, not heat or flames, as smoke travels well ahead of a fire. If you are asleep when a fire occurs in your home, the smoke generated will put you into an even deeper sleep. It is essential that you give you and your family the earliest warning of a fire in your home. Installing a smoke alarm will give you time to escape before fumes and smoke can build up”, he explained.
Fire Safety events are being run throughout County Limerick during Fire Safety Week 2010. On Saturday 9th October Abbeyfeale Fire Station will be holding a fire safety demonstration in the car park of Tesco’s in Abbeyfeale from 11.00am and will also hold an open day in the fire station on Sunday 10th October from 9.00am to 2.00pm
Rathkeale Fire Station will be holding an open day in Rathkeale Fire Station on Sunday 10th October from 3.00pm to 5.30pm, where the will be fun and advice for all the family, including fire safety demonstrations and quizzes for children.
Fire Officers from Limerick County Fire And Rescue Service also continue to offer safety talks to community group that may request a visit and also visit primary schools promoting safety to children.
According to Officer McMahon: “For large events, such as agricultural shows and community days fire-fighters attend with a crew and the Chip-pan Demonstration Unit to demonstrate the risks of a chip-pan fire and how to extinguish and prevent the fire from occurring. We also hold have station open days and invite the local communities to come and visit the stations and speak with our fire-fighters.”
Other messages being promoted during Fire Safety Week 2010 include:
- Install smoke alarms in your home to give you an early warning, check your smoke alarm at least twice a year & use long life lithium batteries with your smoke alarm if possible
- Close all doors at night and check that electrical appliances are switched off
- Avoid overloading electrical sockets
- Use an effective spark guard with open fires
- Clean your chimneys twice a year
- Keep a fire extinguisher and/or fire blanket nearby and know how to use them
- Use electric blankets sensibly - Follow the manufacturer's instructions
- Make sure cigarettes are extinguished properly – Avoid smoking in bed
- Never leave cooking unattended. If you must leave to answer the phone or the front door, turn off the cooker. Never leave food cooking in ovens while you are out of the house.
Should you request any fire safety advice or assistance please feel free to contact the fire Department of Limerick County Council 061-496270 or at fireservice@limerickcoco.ie
In the event of a fire in your home “Get Out, Stay Out And Call the Fire Brigade Out”. The Fire Service can be contacted by dialling 999/112.
The Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government is hosting the 9th annual North-South initiative, in association with the National Safety Council and the Northern Ireland Fire and Rescue Service.
Limerick County Fire and Rescue Service is also hosting open days and demonstrations in Rathkeale and Abbeyfeale this week to help reduce the risk of fires in their homes, schools and workplaces.
The theme of this year’s initiative is ‘Smoke Alarms And Escape Plans Save Lives’.
To coincide with the launch of National Fire Safety Week, Limerick County Fire and Rescue Service has released figures showing a significant increase in the number of fire incidents around the county during the first nine months of 2010.
Between January and September of this year the Service was called out to 391 fire incidents – compared to 382 call outs for the entire of 2009.
Niall McMahon, Assistant Chief Fire Officer with Limerick County Fire and Rescue pointed out that the majority of the fire incidents attended by fire crews so far in 2010 have occurred in people’s homes.
“The cause of these fires ranged from heavily sooted and blocked chimneys, burning rubbish, electrical faults and most alarmingly from children playing with matches or candles. The risk of these fires occurring can be eliminated with the first and most important step being for the public to ensure they have a working smoke alarm in their home.
“To promote awareness of fire safety we hope to reduce the number of fires we attend. With assistance from the people of Limerick we hope achieve this target year on year by urging people to be more vigilant”, he added.
Meanwhile, Officer McMahon called on householders to exercise increased caution regarding fire safety during the coming winter months.
“As we enter into the winter period we begin to see fires being lit to warm people’s homes. However, we urge people to consider a number of measures to ensure that they remain warm and safe this winter. The measures include sweeping chimneys at least once a year, keeping a fire guard in front of a burning fire, extinguishing the fire before going to bed or leaving the house, and never using petrol or paraffin to light a fire.
“Every year in Ireland on average 50 people die in fires, the majority in their own homes. Most of these deaths occur at night. The biggest killer is smoke, not heat or flames, as smoke travels well ahead of a fire. If you are asleep when a fire occurs in your home, the smoke generated will put you into an even deeper sleep. It is essential that you give you and your family the earliest warning of a fire in your home. Installing a smoke alarm will give you time to escape before fumes and smoke can build up”, he explained.
Fire Safety events are being run throughout County Limerick during Fire Safety Week 2010. On Saturday 9th October Abbeyfeale Fire Station will be holding a fire safety demonstration in the car park of Tesco’s in Abbeyfeale from 11.00am and will also hold an open day in the fire station on Sunday 10th October from 9.00am to 2.00pm
Rathkeale Fire Station will be holding an open day in Rathkeale Fire Station on Sunday 10th October from 3.00pm to 5.30pm, where the will be fun and advice for all the family, including fire safety demonstrations and quizzes for children.
Fire Officers from Limerick County Fire And Rescue Service also continue to offer safety talks to community group that may request a visit and also visit primary schools promoting safety to children.
According to Officer McMahon: “For large events, such as agricultural shows and community days fire-fighters attend with a crew and the Chip-pan Demonstration Unit to demonstrate the risks of a chip-pan fire and how to extinguish and prevent the fire from occurring. We also hold have station open days and invite the local communities to come and visit the stations and speak with our fire-fighters.”
Other messages being promoted during Fire Safety Week 2010 include:
- Install smoke alarms in your home to give you an early warning, check your smoke alarm at least twice a year & use long life lithium batteries with your smoke alarm if possible
- Close all doors at night and check that electrical appliances are switched off
- Avoid overloading electrical sockets
- Use an effective spark guard with open fires
- Clean your chimneys twice a year
- Keep a fire extinguisher and/or fire blanket nearby and know how to use them
- Use electric blankets sensibly - Follow the manufacturer's instructions
- Make sure cigarettes are extinguished properly – Avoid smoking in bed
- Never leave cooking unattended. If you must leave to answer the phone or the front door, turn off the cooker. Never leave food cooking in ovens while you are out of the house.
Should you request any fire safety advice or assistance please feel free to contact the fire Department of Limerick County Council 061-496270 or at fireservice@limerickcoco.ie
In the event of a fire in your home “Get Out, Stay Out And Call the Fire Brigade Out”. The Fire Service can be contacted by dialling 999/112.
