Fire chief’s safety warning over seasonal celebrations

Fire chief Greg Brackenridge, a Wolverhampton councillor and the chair of West Midlands Fire Authority, this week issued a warning to people thinking of celebrating the seasonal festivities at home to be extra careful of the risks involved in handling candles, sparklers and fireworks.

And with colder weather forecast in the coming months, Councillor Brackenridge said families also needed to think about potential dangers in the day-to-day running of their homes – with many people trying to reduce lighting, heating and cooking bills due to the cost of living crisis.

“As the weather turns cold, we warm our homes and celebrate the various religious and community festivals at this time of year,” he told the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS).

“West Midlands Fire have produced several useful guides on fire prevention to keep us all safe. These can be found on the West Midlands Fire Service website and are available in a wide range of community languages.

“I urge all residents to visit the website and take note of the need for fire safety in the coming weeks and months. This information could prevent serious injury and even save lives,” he added.

Latest data shows that in 2020/21 there were 116 people admitted to hospital due to injuries from fireworks, with 21 of these aged 14 or under and nine aged between one and four.

Councillor Brackenridge said that the fire authority recommended always attending organised bonfires, but anyone thinking of having a bonfire in their garden should follow official safety advice outlined on the website:

• always site bonfires well away from houses, garages, sheds, fences, trees and anything that could catch fire

• build your bonfire carefully to ensure it won’t collapse to one side when lit

• never use flammable liquids such as paraffin or petrol to light the fire

• keep buckets of water or a hosepipe nearby in case of emergency – but call 999 immediately if the fire gets out of hand

• keep people, especially children, away from the fire. If children are present, supervise them at all times

• don’t burn foam-filled furniture, aerosols, bottles or paints

• never leave a bonfire unattended

• always pour water over embers to ensure they’re fully extinguished before leaving them

Anyone using candles at home – either in Halloween lamps or as a form of lighting – also needs to be vigilant, keeping them in sight at all times and extinguishing them before leaving a room or going to sleep, said Councillor Brackenridge. The fire authority’s online guidance advises:

• never burn a candle on, or near, anything that can catch fire

• keep them out of the reach of children and pets, and away from anywhere they might knock them over

• place burning candles at least three inches apart so they don’t melt one another or create draughts that can cause the candles to flare

• always use a sturdy, heat-resistant candle holder on a heat-resistant surface that’s big enough to contain drips and melted wax

• keep burning candles away from draughts, vents, ceiling fans and air currents. Draughts could also blow lightweight items into a flame where they could catch fire

• don’t extinguish candles with water to avoid hot wax splattering. Instead, use a metal spoon or a snuffer and make sure the wick is no longer glowing

Families struggling to reduce the cost of lighting, heating and cooking are also warned to exercise safety precautions to avoid accidental fires and carbon monoxide poisoning.

The fire authority recommends ensuring all boilers and gas appliances are serviced by a Gas Safe engineer to prevent leaks and CO poisoning. Carbon monoxide detectors should be ins talled in any rooms where gas or solid fuel-burning appliances are being used.

Wolverhampton Council is launching 30 warm spaces at buildings across the city from October 24.

These will provide a safe space for people to keep warm, charge and connect devices, and get a hot drink and something to eat.

The spaces will be open from next Tuesday.

A full list of venues can be found at wolverhampton.gov.uk/cost-of-living-support/warm-spaces.

More details on fire safety can be found at wmfs.net/safety-categories/home-safety.