Inverclyde Now Logo FEWER Accidental House Blazes In Inverclyde

18 February, 2017 | Noticeboard

A LOCAL fire chief has welcomed a fall in the number of accidental house fires in Inverclyde. 

The drop comes as the number of Home Fire Safety Visits (HFSV) carried out by firefighters increased in the area.

Latest figures show there were 22 accidental domestic blazes reported between October and December 2016 – down from 27 over the same period in 2015.  There were 13 non-fatal fire casualties, the same as the previous year

Meanwhile, the number of HFSV carried out rose to 531 – an increase of 20 on the previous year. 

David Proctor, Local Senior Officer (LSO) for Inverclyde hailed the reduction but urged residents to remain vigilant as many of the incidents were linked to people losing concentration whilst cooking. 

He said: “There is a clear link between fire-related casualties and accidental dwelling fires. That is why we make such a concerted effort in the provision of Home Fire Safety Visits to ensure everyone has adequate fire detection in place. 

“The majority of the incidents resulted in slight injury or required a precautionary check-up at hospital. 

“The positive impact of early warning provided by either standalone or linked smoke alarms is evident in terms of the reduction in the number of severe dwelling fires and the associated level of fire related injuries compared to a decade ago. 

“Anyone can be distracted and if that happens in the kitchen then it’s all too easy for a potentially serious fire to break out. 

“That’s why we want to meet people in their homes to make sure they never step away from the cooker without first taking pots or pans off the heat and fully switching off the grill. 

“It’s also important to think about where items like kitchen roll and towels are kept, so they are never placed close to the cooker.” 

There were 89 deliberate fires involving derelict property, rubbish and open land between October and December in 2016 – a rise from 68 over the same period in 2015. Sixteen such incidents occurred on, or around, Bonfire Night. 

There was also an increase in the number of deliberate fires at private and business premises with 16 reported over the period, an increase of four on the previous year. 

LSO Proctor continued: “Deliberate fires are dangerous, put lives at risk and are completely unacceptable. They waste time and money, and keep SFRS crews away from real emergencies. 

“On the lead up to Bonfire Night, we worked in partnership with local community wardens and Police Scotland to deliver bonfire safety talks to all secondary schools and youth zones in the area. 

“We will continue our work with Police Scotland to ensure any deliberate fire is fully investigated. 

“In addition, we ask local residents and businesses to ensure that rubbish does not accumulate outside their property and that wheelie bins are stored in a safe and secure area until collection. 

“Anyone with information on deliberate fires can contact Police Scotland on 101 or anonymously through Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.” 

A home fire safety visit can be booked free of charge calling freephone number 0800 073 1999, by texting ‘FIRE’ to 80800 or by filling in a form at www.firescotland.gov.uk

Pin It on Pinterest