Firefighters urge people to take responsibility this Easter

With everyone needing to stay in their own homes this Easter bank holiday, it’s really important to think about staying safe and protecting ourselves from accidents involving fire.

Firefighters across the county are always here to attend emergencies, but during this time they want everyone to take responsibility for their own actions and to think carefully to ensure that there is no fire risk.

Recently there has been an increase in 999 calls to fires in gardens. People are burning garden waste so fires can and do easily get out of hand or smoke from an outdoor fire may be causing a nuisance. There has also been a wheelie bin fire where a disposable barbecue had caused it to set on fire. Whatever the reasons many 999 calls can be prevented.

Crews want people to take care, especially when cooking over the long weekend. This may be by not leaving cooking unattended or not using chip pans to cook food and taking extra care outside when barbecuing.

Nick Evans, Head of Prevention at Cheshire Fire and Rescue Service said: “We want everyone to have a happy and safe Easter and we know that things are not great at the moment, so we are not here to spoil anyone’s fun. We understand that people are trying to keep busy and are finding things do around the home during lockdown but we want everyone to think about what they are doing and do it safely.

“Our firefighters are available to come and put fires out but the damage and devastation a fire leaves can be immense and may not be something that can be put right overnight. Please don’t risk it, at this time, or at any other time.

“Candles are also a fire issue for us if not used responsibly. Putting them near materials such as bedding or curtains or simply forgetting that you’ve lit them and going to bed is a recipe for disaster. Use them if you need to, but make sure you do it responsibly.”

Firefighters are urging people to use some of their free time this weekend to plan a family escape route plan.  Everyone in the house has an increased chance of escaping should a fire break out.

Nick added: “Get the children involved and plan what you’d do in an emergency together so that everyone can get out safely. If you’ve not got a working smoke alarm on every floor of your home then I’d get online now and order some. These simple devices can and have saved lives.”

For all fire safety advice please visit the website www.cheshire.fre.gov.uk.