Fire safety and smoking at home

OXFORDSHIRE County Council’s Fire and Rescue Service is backing No Smoking Day 2010 by urging smokers to consider the fire safety issues linked to smoking at home.

In October, 2003, a woman died in a fire in Langdale Road, Thame, when under the influence of alcohol, she discarded a cigarette into a waste bin in her bedroom.

This year, No Smoking Day takes place on Wednesday March 10, offering smokers the perfect chance to quit. In 2009 nearly one million smokers gave up smoking on No Smoking Day.

Although people will plan to use the date to stub out their habit for good, Oxfordshire Fire and Rescue Service recognises that there are some who are simply not able to break their addiction.

Mike Bingham, Oxfordshire Fire and Rescue Service?s Risk Reduction Manager said: “Of course it would be fantastic if every smoker in Oxfordshire decided to quit on No Smoking Day, but we realise that this just isn’t going to happen and want to get a fire safety message out to all smokers.

?In Oxfordshire we have had great success in reducing the number of house fires, but we want to stop our residents becoming complacent to these risks and remind them of the dangers of smoking at home.

“It only takes one cigarette to start a fire in your home which could kill you and your family. It only takes one cigarette to wipe out your possessions and childhood memories. It only takes one cigarette to leave thousands of pounds worth of damage to your home.?

ED: In October, 2003, a woman died in a fire in Langdale Road, Thame, when under the influence of alcohol, she discarded a cigarette into a waste bin in her bedroom.

Reducing the risks

Councillor Judith Heathcoat, Oxfordshire County Council’s Cabinet Member for Safer and Stronger Communities said, “Everyone knows that smoking is an expensive habit and that it is bad for your health, but we need to remind people that there are also serious fire safety risks associated with smoking.

?We are urging smokers to Put it Out, Right Out! – Either kick the habit altogether, or ensure that you always extinguish cigarettes properly, especially last thing at night.?

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 call 999.
Ask the experts – Fire and Rescue Services offer free home fire risk checks to identify potential fire risks and advise what to do to reduce or prevent them.
For more information or if you would like to discuss any home fire safety issues, please contact the Community Fire Safety Team on 0800 325 999.

For further information on fire safety visit www.365alive.co.uk or www.direct.gov.uk/firekills
For more information on how to give up smoking visit www.nosmokingday.org.uk

PHOTO: An elderly woman in Kent had a lucky estate when a burning cigarette caught this bed alive. Picture courtesy of Kent Fire and Rescue.