Cornwall Fire & Rescue Service Newsdesk

N/A at 14/06/2002 11:00

Cornwall County Fire Brigade will be holding a ceremony on the 14th June at Truro’s New County Hall to award winning school children with prizes and certificates.

Primary schools from all over Cornwall entered the competition run by the Fire Brigade to design an eye-catching picture and slogan to promote the safe use of candles at home. The winning entries will be used in the form of posters during the Fire Brigades Child Safety Week and will be displayed in fire stations and public places across the county.

For many people of all ages, candles are at the centre of birthdays, family occasions, religious festivals and the home itself. Candles, oil and incense burners and joss sticks are commonplace in many homes throughout the year. However, candles as with any naked flame, can be a cause of fire, especially in the home…and particularly where there are children.

Every year lives and homes are destroyed by candles so great care should always be taken whenever candles are used. Simple fire safety advice urges us to

· Always place candles well away from curtains, furniture and drapes and always out of draughts
· Keep candles out of the reach of children and pets
· Never leave a burning candle unattended
· Keep candles away from hair and clothing
· Always place candles upright in suitable holders, which cannot fall over easily
· Always make sure that candles are properly extinguished, especially before going to bed

Community Fire Safety Advisor Alice Holt said: “Getting children to understand and recognise the dangers of candles is extremely important and it was fantastic to receive so many high quality entries to our competition.”

Cornwall County Fire Brigade are extremely grateful to all of the local businesses that helped them with this competition, particularly those that donated prizes for our winners which include Kidde Safety, A C Systems, Supplies Team and Cornwall County Council Education Department.