Residents in North Wales are being urged to ‘rethink their drink’ during Alcohol Awareness Week, which begins on Monday 14th November.
North Wales Fire and Rescue Service is supporting the campaign which is encouraging people across the country to think about their level of drinking.
Gareth Griffiths, Senior Fire Safety Manager for North Wales Fire and Rescue Service explains why they are backing the campaign: “As a Service we have seen first hand countless incidents which came about because of excessive alcohol consumption – for us, the biggest problem is drinking after cooking.
“In 2007, Sean Bowers, 24, from Penyffordd and Andrew Roberts, 39, from Ruthin, both died following separate fires in their homes both caused by chip pans. Both had been drinking, and had arrived home to cook themselves something to eat. Andrew had finished cooking and had fallen asleep on the couch but failed to turn off the gas. Sean also fell asleep with the chip pan left on the stove. The chip pans overheated and caught fire – Sean and Andrew never woke up.
“Leaving cooking unattended is often a recipe for disaster and if you’ve been drinking you’re even more vulnerable as you’re at high risk of being distracted of falling asleep. Drink affects people mentally and physically, increasing their likelihood of having a fire and slowing their reaction times when one breaks out.
“If you’re asleep and a fire breaks out, you’re in serious trouble. Just a couple of breaths of fire smoke can be enough to knock you completely unconscious. The smell of smoke doesn’t wake up you up – the poisonous gases produced by a fire numb the senses and put you into a deeper sleep. This is why it is essential to have working smoke alarms in your home. Frighteningly, you are also putting the lives of your whole family at risk – a child can die from smoke inhalation in under a minute.
“Despite the old proverb ‘a watched pot never boils’, keeping a close eye on your cooking really will save your life. Whether you’ve had a few drinks or not, our advice to cooks is quite simply to stand by your pan and get working smoke alarms
“Please ensure that Christmas this year is not remembered for all the wrong reasons – avoid your lives going up in smoke by following the tips listed below. I would like to wish everyone a safe and happy Christmas.”
- Never cook after drinking- prepare a sandwich or get a takeaway instead.
- Don’t leave cooking unattended –a small fire can quickly turn into a life threatening one. A household fire doubles in size every thirty seconds.
- Ensure you have a working smoke alarm in your home, and test them once a week.
- Formulate a fire escape plan to ensure that you and your family know how to escape safely in the event of a fire.
North Wales Fire and Rescue Service supplies and fits alarms free of charge, and will give fire safety hints and tips as well as helping you design a fire escape plan for your home. To take advantage of their friendly and informal home visits, book a free Home Safety Check call the 24 hour hotline on 0800 1691234 or visit www.nwales-fireservice.org.uk.
