People should avoid using electrical items overnight due to risk of blaze, fire chiefs say
People should avoid using some electrical items overnight despite it being potentially cheaper in case a fire breaks out, chiefs have warned.
Fire bosses say they are expecting an increase in accidental house fires as residents look to make changes to stay warm and keep bills low over this winter.
But they have been urged to stay safe – with a campaign being launched by Staffordshire Fire and Rescue Service to highlight some of the dangers posed.
Assistant chief fire officer Michelle Hickmott said: "We are dealing with the unknown this winter but our prediction is we may see a rise in accidental house fires, which increases the likelihood of more injuries and sadly the potential for more deaths.
"It is deeply concerning, which is why we are going to be doing everything we can to encourage people to think carefully about their fire safety, and launching our campaign 'Be warm. Be safe.'"
The fire boss said they are expecting to see "new trends emerge" in terms of the causes of accidental fires – as she urged people to follow them on social media and see their website for safety advice.
"We're already hearing stories of people opening up fire places and attempting to fit their own log burners, which if not using a professional, may mean that toxic gases are being released," she said.
"Another issue we’re hearing of is people bringing camping stoves and heating equipment designed for outdoors, into the home, this poses a huge carbon monoxide risk as well as being a fire hazard. Variable use tariffs encouraging people to use electricity outside of peak hours could see people using washers and dryers overnight, which isn’t advisable as there is less time to respond to a fire if you are asleep when one occurs.
“The people most vulnerable from fire have traditionally in the past been elderly people, particularly those that live alone. This risk will remain but we expect it to broaden to other groups in society including low income households and students. We’d encourage people to follow our social channels for top tips, visit our website and do the one simple action that may save your life and check your smoke alarms work.”
The service is teaming up with partner organisations, opening some of its fire stations as warm spaces and distributing posters and leaflets to locations across the county to raise awareness of the campaign.
For more information, visit staffordshirefire.gov.uk.
