Cornwall Fire & Rescue Service Newsdesk

at 29/07/2011 13:49

Cornwall Fire and Rescue Service’s ‘Watch What You Heat’ campaign kicks off on 04 August when a fire appliance and crew from Camborne Community Fire Station attend Camborne Community Action Day at the Pengegon Estate.

There will be a demonstration of the dangers of a chip pan fire and a chance to see the CFRS new fire sprinkler demonstration unit in action to encourage everyone who cooks to do so more safely.

Crew Manager Mark Pratten from Cornwall Fire and Rescue Service’s prevention team is co-ordinating the campaign with firefighters attending a series of community engagement events to highlight the dangers and to give advice on how to protect your family and your property. At each event a crew from the local community fire station will be in attendance with the CFRS chip pan fire and fire sprinkler demonstration units where possible.

The itinerary confirmed so far is

4 August, Pengegon Estate, Camborne

5 August, East Pool Estate, Pool

6 August, Lemon Quay, Truro

11 August Poltair Court, St Austell

15 August Gover Valley, St Austell

18 August, Treneere Estate, Penzance

23 August Berryfield Estate, Bodmin

The campaign is supported by Camborne-based social housing provider, Coastline Housing which has had several kitchen fires in its properties in recent months, but thankfully no one has been badly hurt. Coastline’s Director of Housing & Care, Louise Beard explains why. “This is because as a responsible landlord, Coastline’s properties are constantly well maintained, with smoke alarms fitted and regularly checked. But, we still want to do more to raise awareness among our customers of the dangers of kitchen, and particularly chip pan, fires. Coastline Housing is proud to be partnering Cornwall Fire and Rescue Service in ensuring the highest safety standards for all its customers and their families.”

At the end of last year, leading social housing provider, Coastline signed a unique safety pact – the first of its kind in Cornwall - with the county’s fire and rescue service.

Working in partnership with the Fire and Rescue Service, almost 70 staff at Camborne-based Coastline have received specialist training from fire fighters to help them take on increased responsibility for home safety visits and raise awareness of fires in the home. In the eight months since the partnership began, Coastline staff have carried out near on 200 fire safety checks.

Louise Beard continued, “We are extremely pleased with the progress we have made working in partnership with Cornwall Fire and Rescue Service. We are committed to providing the very best service we can to our customers and what is more important than helping to ensure they are safe in their own home.”



Mark says: “Cooking a nice family meal might only be remembered for a day or so, losing your home and belongings to fire will be remembered for a lifetime. Last year in Cornwall, CFRS attended 333 fires in domestic properties and 173 of these fires started in the kitchen area. Sadly, four people lost their lives in accidental fires last year and two of these fires originated in the kitchen area. During this series of county wide road show events we will be giving out advice on how to avoid becoming such a statistic.”

Cornwall Fire and Rescue Service are asking the people of Cornwall to use this simple check list to safeguard against accidental kitchen fires.

Make sure you have a working smoke alarm and test it weekly
Always keep your oven/grill pan clean and well maintained.
Make sure you avoid distractions whilst cooking
If you are called away from the kitchen, make sure you remove the pan from the hob and turn off the heat
Avoid wearing loose clothing which could easily catch fire
Avoid cooking if you have been drinking alcohol or taken prescription drugs, as you may fall asleep, become drowsy or disorientated
If using a stove top pan whilst cooking with oil, ensure that the pan is no more than one-third full
If a pan of fat catches fire never use water to extinguish it as this will cause a fireball
Never tackle a pan fire yourself, turn-off the power supply if it is safe to do so, close the door to the kitchen, get out

GET OUT, STAY OUT AND DIAL 999

For more information please contact the free 24 hours fire safety information line on 0800 3581 999 or visit the CFRS pages on the Cornwall Council website www.cornwall.gov.uk/fire