Warwickshire launch national campaign!
A scheme, which was originally launched by Warwickshire County Council’s Fire and Rescue Service is now officially being rolled out across the country as a part of the national 'Fire Kills' campaign.
The campaign was launched in partnership with the Boat Safety Scheme, (BSS) in the summer of 2006. The Central government’s National Community Fire Safety Centre is now launching the scheme nationally.
The launch will take place on Monday the 26 March, during which Fire and Rescue Services (FRS) from across the UK will be getting onboard with the campaign to provide boat fire safety checks (BFSC) to boaters in their area as part of the first ever, National Boat Fire Safety Week.
Head of Community Fire Safety and Youth Development, Nigel Grant said:
“We are really pleased that this campaign has now been taken up nationally. Two near fatal fires in Warwickshire, fatal fires in Cheshire and Derbyshire and an explosion caused by LPG in Kent, serve as a timely reminder to all Fire and Rescue Services of the huge risk that exists on our waterways.
“Many boaters are unaware of the dangers that they face on board and the dangers posed to other waterway users as a result of their lifestyles and practices. Providing boat fire safety checks to people living or even taking a holiday on the waterways could mean the difference between life and death!”
The Boat Fire Safety Checks are intended to help boaters to understand the dangers of fire breaking out and the simple preventative actions that can reduce the risk. As such, the BFSC compliments inspections of the fixed fuel, gas and electric installations such as the BSS examination and reviews of safety and emergency equipment like the Royal National Lifeboat Institute (RNLI) Sea Check.
Warwickshire has approximately 120 miles of inland waterways including rivers and canals and has 2,500 boats registered within its area. The risk increases significantly during holiday periods due to the popularity of Warwickshire as a tourist destination.
For further information log onto: http://www.fire.gov.uk/Find+my+region.htm or http://www.boatsafetyscheme.com/boatfiresafetychecks.