Broxtowe Mayor 'Pulls his finger out'
11 February, 2008
Watch Manager Ray Burton visited the Mayor’s home along with fellow retained fire-fighters from the station. They also advised him on regularly testing his smoke alarms, planning an escape route and how to keep him and his family safe from fire in the home.
Raise Awareness
The Pull Your Finger Out campaign has been running since the beginning of January and aims to raise awareness of the importance of not only installing smoke alarms, but making sure they are in good working order to give families the best chance of getting out of a fire alive.
It is believed that 95% of households in the East Midlands have a smoke alarm, but 80% of those do not test their alarm often enough. Excuses include forgetfulness, being too busy or simply not bothering.
Watch Manager Burton said: “We are delighted that Cllr Wombwell has decided to back our campaign by requesting a Home Safety Check.
Know how to test them
“Although we are keen to make sure that everyone has a smoke alarm, it is equally important that people know how to test them - and that they do it regularly.
“Smoke alarms can save lives as they give vital extra minutes for families to get out of the house in a fire. But they are only effective if they work and have up to date batteries in them.”
Cllr Wombwell added: “We have just had some refurbishment work done in our house and we asked the Fire Service to advise us on a Home Safety Check. We installed new smoke alarms and will be making sure we keep them in full working order - always!
“It is vitally important for everyone to install smoke alarms in their homes to give them peace of mind. Smoke alarms do save lives – but only if they are checked regularly.”
By editor@nottinghamng9.co.uk.
