Chimney Fire Safety Week 2018

Posted on August 3, 2018 by Alun

Chimney Fire Safety Week 2018

Chimney Fire Safety Week is back for 2018! The annual event takes place in September. What will you be doing to support the campaign this year with theClean Air Strategy putting extra spotlight on our industry.

HETAS met with the team from Fire Kills back in July and once again we are pleased to be supporting the campaign which works with industry and Fire and Rescue Services to promote this positive safety message to consumers. We really want to know how you be supporting the campaign this year. Chimney fires represent less than 3% of total fires, however such fires are totally avoidable provided consumers take the appropriate action.

Awareness and Action

Ultimately the campaign strives to raise awareness of chimney fires and encourage consumers to take action. The campaign focuses on the importance of chimney sweeping and appliance maintenance, the use of quality fuels and tips to get the most efficiency from a stove.

Chimney fires have been steadily decreasing in most regions over the years, with the period from January to March usually the peak season for chimney fires, with figures identifying over 40% of chimney fires in England taking place over those three months.

Once again, we have provided a number of graphics that you can use on your website and social media channels to show your support. As soon as we have the official figures on chimney fires for 2017/18 from the Home Office we will make them available for you in the HETAS Technical Area. You will be able to see how your region is performing. Check in to the HETAS Technical Area ahead of the campaign to view the support images available and share the videos and images we will be sharing across the HETAS and Woodsure social media channels.

A campaign briefing pack will be sent to Fire and Rescue Services by the Fire Kills team in August, so make sure you engage with your local service on social media channels.

Get in touch and let us know how you’ll be supporting the campaign this year.

Chimney Fire Safety Week 2017

Posted on May 30, 2017 May 30, 2017 by Alun

Chimney Fire Safety Week 2017

It has been confirmed that the Fire Kills Chimney Fire Safety Week 2017 will be taking place from the 4^th to the 10^th September. There are over 5,500 chimney fires in England, Wales and Scotland, HETAS is once again supporting the campaign to raise awareness amongst consumers of the importance of maintaining their solid fuel heating systems, chimneys and flues. HETAS would also like your support with the campaign in 2017.

The campaign is now in its 9^th year and awareness has been growing year on year. With support from industry and Fire and Rescue Services the 2017 campaign looks to build on this success.

HETAS launched the Chimney Fire Safety Week website in 2016 and will be updating the website over the coming months ahead of the campaign, which runs just ahead of the heating season.

We are fully aware that promoting responsible use of heating appliances and regular appliance servicing, maintenance and chimney sweeping is something that retailers, installers and sweeps do on a daily basis and appreciate the support of everyone in the industry for this campaign in previous years.

Support Chimney Fire Safety Week in 2017

Again for 2017, we would like your support. Do you know of any homeowners who have experienced a chimney fire as a result of maintenance neglect? Additionally, chimney sweeps and installers with pictures or case studies that can be used during the campaign please get in touch to offer your support. Examples of case studies and images that would help with the campaign include:

Unswept chimneys
Debris collected from a chimney
Logs stacked next to a stove
Chimney fires in action
Thatch fires
Smoke damaged beams

Please get in touch by email to hello@hetas.co.uk if you can help out and support Chimney Fire Safety Week.

Tick Tock Test

Posted on March 27, 2015 August 9, 2017 by Alun

SPRING INTO ACTION AND PLEDGE TO SAVE LIVES

Give your smoke alarms a spring clean – Tick Tock Test your smoke alarms and carbon monoxide detectors when you change your clocks this weekend.

Fire Kills is asking people across the country to welcome British Summer Time by Tick Tock Testing their smoke alarms when they change their clocks over the weekend of 28-29 March.

As we prepare for the warmer weather and the joys of spring, many of us already have a long list of chores like cleaning windows, painting hallways or tidying up the garden. For many people testing smoke alarms is often low on their list of priorities, so the Fire Kills campaign, in partnership with fire and rescue authorities, is asking people to make an online pledge to test their smoke alarms this clock change weekend. It could save your life.

Most people think that a fire will never break out in their homes but you’re at least four times more likely to die in a fire in your home if you do not have a working smoke alarm. A simple push of the ‘test’ button only takes seconds, so make sure it’s added to your spring to-do list as it could save your life and the lives of family, friends and neighbours – especially older people who need help testing. Sadly over half of all people who die in fires in the home are aged 65 or over.

Many householders don’t realise that the smoke from a fire in the home is so dangerous that it can leave them for dead. Smoke will not wake you up if there is a fire in your home – it will kill you. Smoke is responsible for over half of all deaths in accidental fires in homes. A working smoke alarm is the best way to make sure you have enough time to get out, stay out and dial 999. The Fire Kills national campaign is a timely reminder to persuade people to test their smoke alarms when they are changing their clocks around their home. The campaign uses powerful press and online images, a hard-hitting radio advert (voiced by actor Robbie Gee) and a compelling new online video to show how smoke from a fire engulfs innocent people as they sleep.

In March 2014, nearly one in seven people tested their smoke alarms when they changed their clocks to British Summer Time. This spring, Fire Kills is determined that even more people will keep their loved ones safer from fire by testing their smoke alarms. Everyone can join in and pledge to test via the Fire Kills Facebook page or online and mobile phone adverts.

Working smoke alarms can give people the wake-up call they need to escape – because smoke will not!

Fire Minister Penny Mordaunt said;

The simple act of pressing a button and testing the smoke alarms in your home could be the difference between life and death. On clock change weekend, when you put the clocks in your home forward by an hour, I urge everyone to Tick Tock Test their smoke alarms too. It takes very little extra time and could well be a life saver. In March 2014 nearly 1 in 7 people reached for the test button and I hope that this year many more do the same – not just in their own homes but in the homes of those they know and love who might need help testing. I want to see thousands of responsible householders pledging to test – and then doing it over the weekend of 28-29 March. Let’s save more lives.

The Government’s Chief Fire and Rescue Adviser Peter Holland said:

Smoke alarms are a well-proven life saving tool, but they are no use if they are not working. You are at least four times more likely to die in a fire if you don’t have a working smoke alarm, so taking the time to test the smoke alarms in your home could be a truly lifesaving decision. The clock change weekend can act as a great reminder to test your smoke alarms – so over the weekend of 28-29 March why not test yours when you change the clocks or are catching up on those DIY jobs around your home.

Tick Tock Test

Posted on March 18, 2014 August 9, 2017 by Alun

When you change your clock, test your smoke alarm and carbon monoxide detector!

The national Fire Kills campaign is reminding people of the importance of a working smoke alarm & carbon monoxide detector this month and is encouraging everyone to test theirs when they change their clocks on Sunday 30th March 2014. Listen out for advertising on national radio in the build up to the clock change weekend and look out for the chilling press adverts in national newspapers over the weekend itself. As you are four times more likely to die in a fire in the home if you do not have a working smoke alarm, HETAS is helping to promote this message to all partners and stakeholders. So, please do test your smoke alarms and carbon monoxide detectors when you change you clocks! And, why not help out an older friend, relative or neighbour who might not be able to do so themselves?

The Fire Kills campaign also encourages people to test their smoke alarms on the first of every month with their #TimeToTest social media campaign. You can keep up to date with Fire Kills on Facebook at www.facebook.com/firekills

When the clocks change….

Posted on March 25, 2013 July 16, 2013 by Alun

When you change your clock, test your smoke alarm and carbon monoxide detector

The national Fire Kills campaign is reminding people of the importance of a working smoke alarm & carbon monoxide detector this month and is encouraging everyone to test theirs when they change their clocks on 31 March. Listen out for advertising on national radio in the build up to the clock change weekend and look out for the chilling press adverts in national newspapers over the weekend itself. As you are four times more likely to die in a fire in the home if you do not have a working smoke alarm, HETAS is helping to promote this message to all partners and stakeholders. So, please do test your smoke alarms and carbon monoxide detectors when you change you clocks! And, why not help out an older friend, relative or neighbour who might not be able to do so themselves?

For more information, visit the Fire Kills Facebook group by clicking here.