The 3rd of October marked the start of Fire Safety Week across both Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland. The intention of the event is to create awareness of fire safety issues for all Irish citizens, regardless of geographic boundaries.
NI and the ROI do have separate fire services but along the border, where in practise it may not actually be quicker for the home fire service to respond to an emergency, the two countries have developed a successful working relationship to ensure that every call is answered by the nearest and most equipped fire crew.
Having these two nations work alongside each other pro-actively really drives home the fact that fire safety is everyone’s responsibility and differences just don’t matter when it comes to saving lives.
This year the theme of the week is ‘How To Save A Life’ and each day will focus on a different point of interest within this theme. Activities to encourage involvement and ignite interest have commenced through many media outlets including national TV and radio and can even be found on posters and billboards.
The main focus of the campaign however is to ensure that every household has adequate smoke detection. Organisers are actively encouraging householders with smoke alarms to test them and those without to buy and fit detectors during Fire Safety Week.
A recent national survey of Ireland discovered that over 300,000 homes don’t have any smoke alarms – a shocking figure considering how cost-effective these devices have become in recent years and their proven ability to save lives.
Do you have a smoke alarm in your home? When was the last time you tested it? In some ways it is unfortunate that a week-long campaign is required to educate a nation about the dangers of fire and how easy it is to, if not prevent, but detect and manage fire and make sure nobody gets hurt in the process.
If you’ve just read this article please
- Test your smoke detector or buy a smoke detector if you don’t have one!
- Plan an evacuation route out of wherever you are right now. Even simply knowing where all the exits are will help you in an emergency.
- Consider relatives or neighbours who might not be able to test their own detectors or plan their own evacuation routes.
Discount Fire Supplies sell a range of fire alarms, fire alarm accessories and much more. Browse our online shop or contact us for a quote today.
