Cornwall Fire & Rescue Service Newsdesk

at 07/03/2008 12:20

No Smoking Day – 12 March 2008

Cornwall County Fire Brigade is supporting No Smoking Day 2008 for the third year running and is giving smokers yet more reasons to quit on No Smoking Day on 12th March.

Nationally, between 1995 and 2005 on average, 1643 people were killed or injured in accidental dwelling fires that were started by smokers’ materials.[1]

The best way to reduce your risk is to give up. However, for smokers finding it tough to kick the habit the message from Cornwall County Fire Brigade is to take caution when smoking at home and to ‘put it out, right out’ every time you finish a cigarette.

Matt Littmoden, Chief Fire Officer said of the campaign, “People shouldn’t underestimate the dangers associated with smoking in the home – it can also lead to fatal house fires if cigarettes aren’t properly extinguished.

The economic price of a house fire is immense and you can’t put a cost on the lives of loved ones. I would encourage smokers to give up smoking on this No Smoking Day or at the very least pay careful attention to smoking materials.”

Dan Tickle, Chief Executive of the charity No Smoking Day said, "Most smokers want to stop, but are afraid to ask for help. Your local stop smoking service can increase your chances of success by four times. Why not take The Great No Smoking Day Challenge and feel fitter and healthier.”

For smokers not ready to kick the habit this No Smoking Day, it is important to follow these simple precautions to prevent a fire at home:

Put it out, right out! Make sure your cigarette is fully extinguished

Take extra care when you’re tired, taking any sort of drugs or have been drinking alcohol. It’s very easy to fall asleep while your cigarette is still burning

Never smoke in bed - if you need to lie down, don’t light up. You could doze off and set your bed on fire

Never leave lit cigarettes, cigars or pipes unattended - they can easily overbalance as they burn down

Use a proper, heavy ashtray that can’t tip over easily and is made of a material that won’t burn. Make sure your cigarette is fully extinguished

Tap your ash into an ashtray, never a wastebasket containing other rubbish – and don’t let the ash or cigarette ends build up in the ashtray.

Fit and maintain a smoke alarm - a working smoke alarm can buy you valuable time to get out, stay out and dial 999

Ask the experts - Fire and Rescue Services in England offer free home fire risk checks to identify potential fire risks and advise what to do to reduce or prevent them

To request a free ‘home fire safety check’ contact your local fire station or freephone 0800 3581 999.

For further information on fire safety visit www.firekills.gov.uk

[1] CLG Fire Statistics, UK, 2005

Ends

Notes to editors:

No Smoking Day is organised by the charity No Smoking Day. For more information and advice on giving up smoking and No Smoking Day visit: www.nosmokingday.org.uk

Enquiries
Hannah Rees
Communications Officer
Cornwall County Council
Communications Unit
Tel: 01872 322785
Email: hrees@cornwall.gov.uk

Related item: http://www.cornwall.gov.uk/index.cfm?articleid=2108