-Smokers urged to ‘Put it Out, Right Out’ on No Smoking Day 9th March-
Warwickshire County Council’s Fire and Rescue Service is reminding local smokers today that careless disposal of cigarettes is the single biggest killer in house fires across the country.
Habits such as smoking whilst drinking alcohol in the home or lighting up in bed are responsible for one in three (36%) Source: 2009-10 provisional Fire Statistics of all accidental house fires resulting in deaths in England.
With a steady decline in the number of smokers, the overall number of fires triggered by cigarettes is small, but with over a third of all fire deaths in the country attributed to cigarettes the proportion of fatalities is staggering. In 2009 /10 there were 18 fires in Warwickshire which directly related to cigarettes, one of which caused a serious injury.
To coincide with National No Smoking Day (9th March 2011), Warwickshire Fire and Rescue Service and the Fire Kills campaign are urging smokers to realise the deadly dangers of lighting up in the home.
Smokers not giving up should still be aware of the fire risks they face, cut out dangerous habits, install smoke alarms on every level of the home and test them weekly. A working smoke alarm means you are more than twice as likely to survive an accidental house fire. Source: CLG Fire Statistics, 2007
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
· Fit a smoke alarm and test it weekly. A working smoke alarm can buy you valuable time to get out, stay out and call 999
· Never smoke in bed. Take care when you’re tired. It’s very easy to fall asleep while your cigarette is still burning and set furniture alight
· Avoid drugs and alcohol when smoking. It’s easy to lose your concentration when using any sort of drugs or drinking alcohol, combined with cigarettes and this could be lethal
· 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.
The message was supported by Paul Hooper, strategy manager for the Warwickshire Drug and Alcohol Action Team. The team strongly supports any actions designed to cut smoking.
Paul said: “Increasingly, the message is reaching people about the health dangers of smoking. But some continue to increase their risk of cancer, heart disease and other illnesses and smoke.
“We hope that this added risk from smoking – the increased likelihood of a house fire – will be just the encouragement that more people will need to kick the habit. Of course, the best way to avert the risk of a cigarette fire in the house is not to smoke at all.”
For advice and help to stop smoking, call 0800 852917. For further information on No Smoking Day visit: http://www.nosmokingday.org.uk For information on how to keep your home safe log onto http://www.warwickshire.gov.uk