Fire Officer urges everyone to follow life saving advice

Date published: 29/04/2006

Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service's Chief Fire Officer today launched a campaign to encourage everyone to take notice of fire safety advice and ensure that they not only have working smoke alarms but an escape plan ready should a fire happen in their home. 

The advice comes following 23 fire deaths between April 2005 and March 2006. This is set against a backdrop of 40,000 home fire risk assessments carried out and 64,000 smoke alarms fitted by operational crews. In each fatal incident fire crews arrived on the scene within 7 minutes of being called.

Of the 19 incidents in which the 23 people died, fires as a result of smoking materials were the biggest killer accounting for 11 of the fatalities, 3 of the fatalities occurred as a result of cooking incidents. Perhaps most worryingly alcohol and/or drugs were a factor in 12 of the deaths.  

In 7 of the incidents there was a smoke alarm but it was not working, in 3 cases there was no smoke alarm and in the remainder a smoke alarm was present and did activate. 

County Fire Officer Barry Dixon said, "Just one fire death is a tragedy and this year has sadly seen 23 people's lives taken by fire, two of the incidents were multiple fatalities. In many cases these deaths could have been prevented by following simple fire safety advice and ensuring that smoke alarms are fitted and have working batteries. These simple steps cost very little and really can save lives. 

It is of great concern that alcohol and smoking played a significant part in causing many of these fatalities. 

Fire crews throughout Greater Manchester have carried out over 40,000 free home fire risk assessments which not only include fitting of free smoke alarms if required but also giving advice on escape plans and other fire safety issues within the home. I would urge everyone to have one of these assessments carried out."

The campaign launched today centres on the issue of everyone ensuring that they have devised an escape plan so if a fire occurs, the smoke alarm will ensure that they are aware and they will have already prepared how they would escape.

The figures refer to fatalities in accidental dwelling fires.

• GMFRS have carried out over 40,000 Home Fire Risk Assessments out to date
• GMFRS crews have fitted over 64,000 smoke alarms
• Figures show the most likely room to die in the home is the bedroom with smoking materials around or in the bed being the main cause
• The weekend has been identified as the most common period of the week for fatal house fires, coinciding with the increased amount of socialising