No smoke without fire

26th July 2010, 16:16

Related links

• Essex County Fire & Rescue
• Smokefree

Homes with smokers living in them are at far more risk of fire than non-smoking households.

Last year 29% of all fire deaths in Essex were caused by smoking related materials and 10% of all injuries in fires in the county were caused by smoking.

Essex County Fire and Rescue Service have joined forces with Mid Essex Primary Care Trust to get the fire safety message to smokers.

Mid Essex PCT have launched the Smoke Free Homes scheme to encourage parents who smoke to give up, or not smoke around their children.

All parents who take up the scheme will be given the option to receive a free home fire safety visit.

Sub Officer Steve Milchard said: “If smokers take simple precautions then they will be a lot safer - fires caused by cigarettes can cause devastation so it is important that smokers are not complacent and take the proper care, and always ensure that all smoking materials are properly extinguished.”

He gave this advice to smokers:

• 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 not still burning when you are finished. Put it out, right out.
• 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. You can get a ten-year smoke alarm for roughly the same price as two packets of cigarettes.
• Make sure that you have an escape plan and know how to get out if the worst should happen and you and your family are woken by a smoke alarm.