The three Fire and Rescue Services in Wales are joining forces with partners Fire Angel for a new campaign which will see fire safety messages printed on pharmacy bags across the country.
The Welsh fire and rescue services attended more than 2,000 fires in Welsh homes last year and astonishingly found that in over half of those homes either there wasn’t a smoke detector fitted at all or that a detector had been fitted but it wasn’t working properly or had simply failed to detect the fire.
FireAngel are working in partnership with the three Fire and Rescue Services in Wales to highlight the importance of working smoke alarms using prescription bags given out by the local pharmacies.
Nick Rutter from Sprue Safety Products, the company that make FireAngel smoke alarms, comments: “The simplest and easiest step anyone can take to protect themselves their loved ones and their home from fire is to fit a working smoke alarm”.
The new 4 week campaign will be launched on the 17th of October with 179 pharmacies involved and 179,000 pharmacy bags being printed with the potentially life saving advice.
The bags will feature the text – “Smoke Alarms save lives – have you tested your smoke alarm this week? Remember medication can make you drowsy”, alongside a photo of Firefighters from the local region.
Simon Smith, Chief Fire Officer, North Wales Fire and Rescue Service said;
“This is another example of an excellent and innovative partnership working. Protecting our residents is at the core of what we do- and the pharmacy bag campaign is another way to get our vital messages across.
“The concerted campaign will see residents picking up their prescriptions and taking home important advice as well. A substantial percentage of those under prescription will be elderly or vulnerable individuals – and this advice is all the more important to them. Many of those individuals who need our advice the most are the hardest to reach, so hopefully this campaign will help us communicate with them.
“However, the advice we are issuing is relevant to everyone within the community – fire can strike anyone, at any time, and it is important that all residents have working smoke alarms fitted and that they test them regularly.
“I hope that all the residents we reach take the advice prescribed which will keep them as safe as possible in their homes.”
Gareth Griffiths, Senior Fire Safety Manager, North Wales Fire and Rescue Service said:
“We are pleased to be working with our partner Fire Angel and the other two Fire and Rescue Services in Wales, by providing a re usable pharmacy bag containing a fire safety message to remind home owners of the importance of testing their smoke alarm regularly”.
