Cornwall Fire & Rescue Service Newsdesk

cornwall at 10/04/2

In the UK, nearly 500 people die in fires each year, well over half of the people who die in fire do so in their own homes.

“That is why firefighters from Cornwall County Fire Brigade carry out door to door free ‘Home Fire Safety Checks’. It gives the Brigade the opportunity to prevent fires from happening.”
explains Matt Littmoden, Chief Fire Officer

He cont: “We report our statistics on fires in the home to the Government at the end of each financial year. I am absolutely delighted that nobody died in a fire at home during the year that has just come to a close and we will be reporting no fire deaths. This is the first time we have ever been able to do this.”

The initiative the ‘Home Fire Safety Check’ was started in 2003. Firefighters from the brigade visit people in their homes to carry out a Home Fire Safety Check (HFSC). The Home Fire Safety Check is an evaluation of the occupier’s risk from fire, which includes home fire safety advice and the supply of free smoke alarms if required.

Matt Littmoden added: “Between April last year and the end of March this year firefighters visited 18,000 homes in Cornwall and fitted, free of charge, 4,200 smoke alarms.
Cornwall County Fire Brigade also promotes fire safety in schools across the County. Cornwall has 252 Infant and Primary schools and Cornwall Fire Brigade staff work with all children in years 2 and 4 visiting every school in the county on a rolling programme.

“The schools education programme delivered by the Community Fire Safety Advisors (CFSA’s) also contributes towards the Brigade’s aim of making Cornwall a Safer place to live, work and visit. The Community Fire Safety Advisors have spoken to over 12,000 children this year” said Community Fire Safety Advisor Sarah Webber.

The Community Fire Safety Advisors achieve this by:
• Visiting children at least once during each phase of their education;
• Supporting Citizenship and PSHE in schools;
• Supporting the work of the Fire Awareness Child Education Team;
• Responding to local Community Fire Safety initiatives;
• Promoting the Home Fire Safety Check campaign.

Matt Littmoden added: “Personnel from Cornwall County Fire Brigade work hard to continue their invaluable proactive community safety work – as well as providing an emergency frontline service.
Our aim is to make the county a safer place to live, work and visit by driving down fire deaths and injuries – We are seeing the signs that the hard work is paying off but we are not complacent and will keep up our efforts to keep everyone as safe as we possibly can”

If you would like a free home fire safety check please ring freephone 0800 3581 999 or contact your local fire station.