Winter 2011 (1.9 MB PDF) - Angus Council

Housing news
Keep yourself safe this Christmas
www.dontgivefireahome.com
Garry Brown is the
Community Fire
Safety Watch
Manager for
Tayside Fire
and Rescue
and part of
the Community
Safety Joint Services
Team. Speaking of tenants keeping
themselves safe this Christmas, he stated:
”The message is clear this Christmas; please
take care. The festive period is traditionally marked
by a higher incidence of domestic fires because
houses contain more combustible materials than
usual, whether it be trees, wrapping paper, candles
or decorative lights. The good news is that these
tragedies can be avoided by adopting some basic
fire safety rules.”
Alarming statistics show that more people die
in house fires across Scotland over the Christmas
period than at any other time of year. Over 10 per
cent of all fire deaths in Scotland occur during
December.
Christmas trees, decorations, lights, open fires
and candles are just some of the winter and
Christmas essentials that can spark tragedy if they
aren’t monitored carefully and precautions aren’t
taken. Extra caution is also needed with natural
Christmas trees particularly if surrounded by lights
or nearby candles, as these trees are very dry and
highly flammable.
Anyone concerned about fire safety and
what actions to take can find out more at
www.dontgivefireahome.com. •
To arrange your free home fire safety visit, contact Tayside Fire
and Rescue -
Call 0300 123 9998
Text ‘CHECK’ to 61611
Web www.taysidefire.gov.uk
Tayside
Fire and Rescue
are offering a completely
FREE service to residents of
Angus. Firefighters will come to
your home and carry out a ‘Home
Fire Safety Visit’. Firefighters will
also fit Smoke Alarm’s to your
property free of charge,
if required.
12 Days of Christmas Fire Safety Check
• on the 1 st day of Christmas: check your
Christmas tree lights conform to
the British or European Standard;
• on the 2 nd day of Christmas:
never place candles near your
Christmas tree or furnishings.
Don’t leave them burning unattended;
• on the 3 rd day of Christmas: make sure
your family and guests know what to do in
an emergency. Make a fire escape plan;
• on the 4 th day of Christmas: decorations can burn
easily–don’t attach them to lights or heaters;
• on the 5 th day of Christmas: never overload electrical
sockets. Take special care with Christmas
lights;
• on the 6 th day of Christmas: most fires start in the
kitchen–never leave a cooker unattended;
• on the 7 th day of Christmas: celebrate safely. The
risk of accidents, especially in the kitchen, is
greater after alcohol is consumed;
• on the 8 th day of Christmas: if you are planning
to celebrate with fireworks, store them in a
metal box, read the instructions, never go
back to a lit firework and keep a bucket of
water nearby;
• on the 9 th day of Christmas: make sure you have a
working smoke alarm;
• on the 10 th day of Christmas: change the battery
in your smoke alarm and test it every week,
after that, use Christmas as a reminder to
clean it and remove dust;
• on the 11 th day of Christmas: make sure candles
and cigarettes are completely extinguished
before going to bed. Keep matches and
lighters away from children;
• on the 12 th day of Christmas: take a second to
check on elderly relatives and neighbours
this Christmas–make sure they are fire safe.
7