Kent Fire and Rescue has published on its Twitter page another in its series of safety videos highlighting the importance of testing smoke alarms. The tweet was an immediate hit with Twitter followers and was re-tweeted over 1,300 times in just four days.
The latest video follows in the footsteps of other parodies including Stephen King’s IT: Clowning around with home safety could end in horror, Star Wars themed: Use your lightsaber as a life-saver and the Tammy Wynette inspired: Stand by your pan.
While the delivery may be lighthearted, the videos all carry a serious message. It is important to realise that fires nearly always happen unexpectedly, and often when we are at our most vulnerable. While many people believe they will be alerted or awakened by the smell of smoke, this is simply not the case. When there is a fire, it is smoke that is the real danger, and just three inhalations of smoke could be sufficient to kill you before a fire has even reached you.
Fire alarms are easy to fit in the home, and you don’t need to pay a tradesman to fit one. A basic ionisation alarm costing less than £10 will detect a flaming fire and save lives.
Before going to bed tonight, take a few steps to make sure you sleep peacefully through the night:
- Make an escape plan and make sure everyone in your household knows what to do.
- Check that internal doors are closed.
- Extinguish cigarettes.
- Unplug chargers, portable heaters and other electrical equipment.
- Make sure escape routes are clear of clutter.