Fire Kills CampaignMonthly Briefing PackNovember – Electrical Fire Safety

Electrical Fire Safety Week:10 – 16 November 2014

Candle Fire Safety Week: 17 – 23 November 2014

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Contents

1. Summary 3Awareness Weeks 3Fireworks 3Sky lanterns 3

2. Electrical Fire Safety Week 4Electrical statistics 4DCLG PR activity 4Electrical Safety First PR activity 4Key heater fire safety messages 5Suggested local PR activity 5

3. Electrical fire safety messages 7

4. Candle Fire Safety Week 9Candle fire statistics 9Candle fire safety messages 9National PR activity 10Suggested local PR activity 10

5. Resources available 11Fire Kills Extranet 11Electrical Safety First leaflets 11Home electrical safety checks app 11Socket overload calculator 11Product recall checker 12Electrical Safety First contact details 12

6. Template Press Notice – Electrical Fire Safety Week 13

7. Template Press Notice – Candle Fire Safety Week 14

Electrical Fire Statistics – Separate Document

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1. Summary

As detailed in the September briefing pack, and in the revised Fire and Rescue Campaign Calendar, the theme for November is electrical fire safety.

Awareness WeeksThe activity for November will focus on Electrical Fire Safety Week, which will run from 10-16 November. The Fire Kills campaign is works in close partnership with Electrical Safety First (formerly the Electrical Safety Council, or ESC) to develop the Week.

Also running this month is the much lower weight Candle Fire Safety Week. ‘Candles’ was dropped as a theme for a month as the number of candle fire related deaths has reduced dramatically. However, the retention of Candle Fire Safety Week provides an opportunity to remind people of candle fire safety messages at a time of year when candle usage increases.

FireworksNovember brings bonfire night on 5 November. As you will be aware, fireworks safety does not fall under the remit of the Fire Kills campaign, but that of the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS). As with last year, BIS are not planning on undertaking a proactive campaign on fireworks safety.

However, BIS firework resources are still available on the gov.uk website and on the National Archives website:

https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/31866/10-1039-fireworks-safety-displays.pdf http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/+/http://www.bis.gov.uk/policies/consumer-issues/product-safety/firework-regulations/fireworks-resources

Sky lanterns With plenty of celebrations going on, it is very likely that of people will be using sky lanterns.

The Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA), who have responsibility for sky lanterns, report that a number of local authorities are either considering introducing voluntary bans on council-owned land, or have already done so. A recently published DEFRA report on sky lanterns suggested that voluntary actions and initiatives to raise public awareness are effective and may well have contributed to a fall in lantern sales over the last few years.

A message you may wish to promote might be:- We recommend that you do not use sky lanterns as you have no control over them once they’ve been set off. They can kill animals, litter the countryside and can even start fires. If you do choose to set them off, always follow the manufacturers’ guidance/instructions carefully.

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2. Electrical Fire Safety Week

The main activity this month will focus on Electrical Fire Safety Week – 10-16 November. We will be running the Week in partnership with Electrical Safety First, an independent charity committed to reducing deaths and injuries caused by electricity in the home.

BackgroundThe Week has been established to raise awareness of electrical fire safety issues at a local level, while providing local fire and rescue authorities with activity ideas and support to enhance their engagement with their local community. Now a well-established part of the Fire Kills calendar, Electrical Fire Safety Week has moved to November – colder weather presents more risks from electrical products as people are more likely to use portable heaters, electric blankets, Christmas lights etc.

This year, the Week is also being run in Scotland and Wales with authorities in these nations teaming up with Electrical Safety First.

Electrical statisticsThe latest fire statistics demonstrate that half of all accidental dwelling fires were caused by faulty or careless use of electrical appliances (including cookers). Detailed statistics are available in Annex A (separate document).

Millions of people in the UK expose themselves and their families to potentially fatal accidents in the home through simple electrical blunders because of an alarming lack of knowledge about the real danger of electricity.

People severely under estimate the risks associated with electricity. Around 70 people die and 350,000 are seriously injured each year.

DCLG PR ActivityThis will focus on social media, with electrical fire safety messages being posted on Facebook and Twitter. Where applicable, any relevant posts from our partners or fire and rescue authorities will be highlighted along with any significant coverage of Electrical Fire Safety Week..

We will be using the hashtags #EFSW and #FireSafetyTips.

Electrical Safety First PR ActivityElectrical Safety First will be running a media campaign that focuses on portable heaters, responsible for 4% of accidental fires in homes during 2012-13 and a higher number of fatalities and casualties per thousand fires than any other item.

The majority of these fires are caused by misuse, with children and older people particularly vulnerable. With increasing energy bills a constant source of worry for householders, portable heaters are seen as a cost-effective option for keeping warm – heating one room instead of the whole house. However, they are very easy to knock over and are frequently used next to flammable materials, or to dry or warm clothes.

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The story will focus on the simple steps people can take to stay safe when using portable heaters and raise awareness of the sort of simple mistakes that can cause electrical fires.

Key heater fire safety messages Put your heater on a flat, stable, safe and secure surface, well away from

anything that could knock it over Don’t put your heater against a wall as this could restrict ventiilation Make sure your heater is at least a metre away from combustible materials,

such as paper, furniture or curtains. Never use it to dry your clothes! Never leave your heater unattended whilst in use or while you are asleep Don’t cover air vents on storage heaters or fan heaters. Never power a heater from an extension lead – they can easily be

overloaded and cause fires Regularly inspect your heater for damage and deterioration. If it isn’t in

good condition, don’t use it! Avoid second hand heaters. Make sure you buy from recognised

manufacturers and retailers.

Case studiesIt is easier to secure press coverage if case studies can be provided to illustrate the campaign messages. If you have any incidents of electrical fires caused by portable heaters, please contact ben.stokes@electricalsafetyfirst.org.uk to discuss whether it might be a suitable case study to support the campaign.

Suggested Local PR ActivityIdeas for activity have been drawn from feedback on successful previous local events run by fire and rescue authorities. Electrical Fire Safety Week provides a good opportunity to engage with local communities through a range of means:

Community Awareness Events/School Visits: Taking community safety vehicles and teams to a shopping centre or similar.

Local business partnerships: You could approach local businesses to support and/or sponsor Electrical Fire Safety Week with safety products or replacement appliances to use at awareness events.

Fire Station Open Day: An open day or “surgery” at local fire stations could include free Portable Appliance Testing (PAT) or electric blanket testing to raise awareness and communicate safety messages. Or you could team up with other local safety bodies to run advice giving sessions

Targeted leaflet/promotional material distribution: circulate electrical safety resources to local community, through retail outlets, doctor/dental surgeries, libraries, etc. You could join up with local scouts/guides groups and encourage them to distribute materials via local shopping outlets.

Targeted Home Fire Risk Checks – The Week can be used to canvass for home fire risk checks, particularly among the elderly who may be using

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electric blankets and electric heaters to keep warm. Evaluation has clearly demonstrated the huge contribution that home fire risk checks have made and continue to make in reducing the incidence of fire and resulting fatal and non-fatal casualties.

Media activity: contact local papers and local radio stations to promote Electrical Fire Safety Week and related messages. A template press release is being drafted by Electrical Safety First and will be circulated when finalised. This can, of course, be “localised” with details of any activity and covering any specific subject more appropriate to your area. Use of case studies is really helpful in getting your message across.

Social Media: Infographics and suggested Tweets and Facebook posts will be provided by Electrical Safety First that can be shared during the Week.

Target electrical stores/ retail outlets – In previous years, Kent Fire and Rescue Service set up 2 display vehicles with crews at locations in Canterbury and Aylesford and Community Safety staff took display vehicles to some retail parks to target shoppers using electrical stores with fire safety advice and to hand out leaflets supplied by Electrical Safety First.

Amp stickers – with overloading of sockets widely discussed at the 2012 FRS Workshop run by Electrical Safety First, the idea of stickers to be stuck on plugs denoting amps for an electrical product could help householders ensure they don’t overload adapters. If your fire and rescue authority has artwork available for this, or any other supporting material and you are happy for this to be shared with other fire and rescue authorities, please contact James Webb.

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3. Electrical Fire Safety Messages

The main messages for Electrical Fire Safety Week will focus on heaters as outlined in the section above. Electrical Safety First and Fire Kills have pulled together some other key messages that could be promoted during November.

Electriclal fire safety messages can cut across electrical distribution, faulty appliances and wiring and even misuse of electrical equipment. This highlights the need for tailoring messages and activity to relevant audiences. Having sufficient fire detection equipment and escape plans remains of high importance.

Carry out a visual check of your electricsEncourage people to carry out visual checks in their homes to ensure their safety and reduce the risk of electrical fires. It is often the simple things that people could check that lead to a serious fire – such as an appliance lead near a hot surface or an overloaded socket.

The ‘Home Electrical Safety Check’ app can guide householders through visual checks (www.electricalsafetyfirst.org.uk/visualchecks).

Keep combustible materials away from sources of heatEncourage householders not to store combustible materials close to their electrical intake equipment (service head meter and/or consumer unit) in their homes. The warning is particularly appropriate where, for example, the electrical intake equipment is in a cupboard which is used to store items such as coats, cleaning materials and other things that ignite easily.

Don’t overload plug socketsAn extension lead or adaptor will have a limit to how many amps it can take so, to help reduce the risk of fire, be careful not to overload them. Try to keep to one plug per socket.

Use Electrical Safety First’s online ‘Socket Overload Calculator’ to make sure that you are not overloading the sockets in your home.www.electricalsafetyfirst.org.uk/overloadingsockets

Check that your electrical products have not been recalledIn the last six years, over 250 recall notices have been issued for electrical products, mostly due to a risk of electric shock or fire. Yet response rates are worryingly low with most recalls only achieving around 10-20%. Use Electrical Safety First’s online product checker to make sure the appliances in your home are safe: www.electricalsafetyfirst.org.uk/recall

Avoid buying counterfeit or substandard goodsCounterfeit electrical goods can contain incorrect or faulty parts that overheat or break just days after purchase, rising fire or serious shock. Faulty electrical goods cause thousands of house fires each year. If a bargain looks too good to be true, it probably is.

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Keep electrical appliances clean and in good working orderLook out for fuses that blow, circuit-breakers that trip for no obvious reason and flickering lights to prevent appliances triggering a fire.

Regularly check for frayed or worn cables and wiresCheck to see if the cable is fastened securely to the plug and check the socket for scorch marks. You should always carry out these checks before you use an appliance.

Switch off appliances at the socket when not in useThis helps to reduce the risk of fire. Switch off appliances when you go to bed or when you go out unless they are designed to be left on, like freezers.

Buy your electrical chargers from a reputable sourceMany imported chargers do not satisfy UK safety regulations and can cause serious electric shock, injury or fire

Get Out, Stay Out, Call 999Never use water on an electrical fire and don’t take any risks with your safety. Pull the plug out or switch the power off if it is safe to do so. Get out, stay out and call 999.

Residual Current DeviceEncourage homeowners to fit and use RCD protection, if they do not already have it. An RCD (residual current device) is a life-saving device which is designed to prevent you from getting a fatal electric shock if you touch something live, such as a bare wire. It provides a level of protection that ordinary fuses or circuit-breakers cannot provide. RCD protection is particularly important when using electrical equipment outdoors.

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4. Candle Fire Safety Week

The aim of Candle Fire Safety Week is to raise awareness of the safety measures that should be followed when using candles.

Background and candle fire statisticsThe number of candle fires has significantly decreased in recent years. The number of non-fatal casualties has also reduced significantly and fatalities continue to fall.

Year Candle Fires in England

FatalCasualties

Non-FatalCasualties

2004-05 1,476 10 5652005-06 1,389 21 5522006-07 1,230 14 5312007-08 1,128 9 4772008-09 970 12 3822009-10 1,004 12 3682010-11 908 10 3832011-12 798 7 3332012-13 913 5 341

Candle fire safety messages

Make sure that when in use, candles are secured in a proper holder and away from materials that may catch fire – like curtains.

Children should not be left alone with lit candles.

Put candles out when you leave the room, and make sure they’re put out completely at night.

Keep the wax pool clear of wick trimmings, matches and debris at all times.

Burn candles in a well-ventilated room, but avoid drafts, vents or air currents. This will help prevent rapid or uneven burning, sooting, and excessive dripping.

Trim the wick to ¼ inch each time before burning. Long or crooked wicks can cause uneven burning, dripping or flaring.

Don’t move candles once they are lit

Follow the manufacturer's recommendations on burn time and proper use.

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Do not burn several candles close together as this might cause flaring (mainly with tea-lights).

Use a snuffer or a spoon to put out candles. It’s safer than blowing them out when sparks can fly.

National PR activityThis will focus on social media where we will use the hashtag #CandleSafety alongside the hashtag #FireKills.

The key messages which can be posted and tweeted are: Never leave burning candles unattended Keep burning candles away from furniture and curtains Keep candles out of the reach of children and pets Put candles on stable, heat-resistant surfaces Candles that have been put out can go on smouldering and start a fire.

Make sure they’re completely out

Links we will be promoting through our social media channels include: Flee ‘Hot Date’ video

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g07Lkbbe5rA Candles radio filler

http://audioboo.fm/boos/1223733-dclg-candles-fire-kills

Suggested local PR activityKey candle fire safety messages, as outlined in this pack, can be promoted by fire and rescue authorities in many different ways.

Template press notice – this is available on page 8 to raise local media awareness around Candle Fire Safety Week. The press notice can be used as a template and adapted as necessary to include local fire and rescue service logos, identities and any local engagement activity.

Fillers – these can be used on various out of home TV screens, e.g. in shopping centres, doctor’s surgeries etc.

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5. Resources available

Fire Kills ExtranetThe Fire Kills Extranet (http://extranet.firekills.gov.uk) hosts all of the artwork and Fire Kills material and is available to all fire and rescue practitioners.

Images – Fire Kills top tips and positive and negative illustrations are available under ‘Images’ – http://extranet.firekills.gov.uk/images/

Leaflets – PDF versions and InDesign files of the Fire Kills leaflets can be found here – http://extranet.firekills.gov.uk/leaflet/

Fillers – the audio and video public service broadcasts are also available – http://extranet.firekills.gov.uk/audio and http://extranet.firekills.gov.uk/video. The most appropriate filler available for electrical fire safety is ‘Connections’.

If you come across leaflets, posters or other materials that you think should be on the Extranet that aren’t, please do get in touch. Also, if you spot any errors or would like to suggest some changes, please let us know.

Electrical Safety First leafletsA wide range of literature is available covering a variety of electrical safety issues. These include:

How Safe is your Home? – general safety advice Electric Blanket Safety Electrical Safety at Christmas – looking after your Christmas lights Safe Shopper’s Guide – avoiding counterfeit goods Fire Factsheet

These leaflets are available to support your activities, free of charge subject to quantities ordered. Copies can be requested by contacting: enquiries@electricalsafetyfirst.org.uk.

Alternatively you can download copies of these and the full range of safety leaflets from the Electrical Safety First website, www.electricalsafetyfirst.org.uk .

Home electrical safety checks appThe free ‘Home Electrical Safety Checks’ App (visual checks App) is available to download for iphones/ipads and Android phones from the Electrical Safety First website.

The app enables you to carry out basic visual checks around the home to keep you and your family safe and has a simple checklist function to note the items that need improvement, highlighting any that are potentially dangerous and require urgent remedial action from a registered electrician. www.electricalsafetyfirst.org.uk/visualchecks

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Socket Overload CalculatorThe online ‘Socket Overload Calculator’ is available on the Electrical Safety First website.

The calculator was developed in response to feedback from fire and rescue authorities that while overloading sockets is a major cause of accidental domestic fires, it is difficult to explain the risks to householders without a visual representation. The calculator is a virtual tool that allows people to “plug in” typical household appliances and check the impact of the load on a standard four-bar extension lead. If you would like to display the calculator on your website please visit: www.electricalsafetyfirst.org.uk/overloadingsockets

Visit the Electrical Safety First website to get the calculator – you will need the code and instructions to display the calculator on your own website.

Product Recall CheckerElectrical Safety First’s online product checker helps people find out if an electrical product that they own is under a recall notice. Visit the website to get the code and instructions to add the tool to your website.www.electricalsafetyfirst.org.uk/recall

250 recall notices have been issued for electrical products in the last six years, and the majority of these have been due to a risk of electric shock or fire. But with an average success rate of just 10-20%, it is clear that people do not know about recalls or do not fully understand the importance of the need to act on them.

Electrical Safety First contact detailsFor any queries about Electrical Safety First’s PR or media activity for the week, please contact Ben Stokes on 020 3463 5129 or by email at ben.stokes@electricalsafetyfirst.org.uk or Penny Walshe on 020 3463 5125 or penny.walshe@esc.org.uk.

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6. Template Press Notice – Electrical Fire Safety Week

Being drafted by Electrical Safety First and will be forwarded separately when finalised.

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7. Template Press Notice – Candle Fire Safety Week

Candle Fire Safety Week: Snuff out the fire risk

As part of the Fire Kills campaign, Fire and Rescue Services across the country are asking people to take care this Candle Fire Safety Week and snuff out the risk of fire in their homes

With the days growing darker and winter setting in, a few candles scattered round the room can lend a warm glow to an evening in or add some festive cheer to the season’s celebrations such as Guy Fawkes’ night and Christmas.

But with candle fires resulting in around 350 casualties each year, [insert name of FRS] are asking people to take extra care with candles this winter - nearly 40% of all fires started by candles result in a death or injury.

The most important step you can take to keep yourself and your loved ones safe is to ensure your home has a working smoke alarm. To prevent candle fires from starting in your home, you should make sure your candles are kept away from flammable materials like curtains and ensure candles are put out when you leave the room, even for a moment.

[Insert name of FRS spokesperson] said:

“Candles are a typical sight in many homes, scenting our rooms and giving an atmospheric glow to cold winter nights. But it’s important to remember that a candle is not just a decorative feature. Left unattended, an open flame scenting your home could leave a trail of devastation.

“Place your lit candles with extra care, away from curtains, pets and children and always remember to put them out when you leave the room, even for a moment.”

“Even with these precautions it’s vital to be prepared should the worst happen. A working smoke alarm can give you the vital time you need to get out, stay out and call 999. Keep yourself and your loved ones safe by testing your alarm regularly and by practising your escape routes.”

To help you enjoy your candles safely, the Fire Kills campaign has offered some tips for this Candle Fire Safety Week:

● Never leave lit candles unattended. Put burning candles out when you leave the room, and make sure they’re out completely at night.

● Place your candles carefully. Make sure they are on a stable surface, out of the reach of pets and children, and keep them away from flammable objects like curtains, furniture, bedding and books.

● Don’t move candles once they are lit Do not burn several candles close together as this might cause the

flame to flare

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Burn candles in a well-ventilated room, out of drafts, vents or air currents. This will help prevent rapid or uneven burning, soot, and dripping.

Put candles out with a snuffer or a spoon - sparks can fly if you blow them out.

● Always put scented candles in a heat resistant holder. These candles are designed to liquify when heated to maximise fragrance.

● Fit a smoke alarm and test it regularly. A working smoke alarm can buy you valuable time to get out, stay out and call 999.

● Make sure that everyone in your home knows what to do if a fire should occur– practise your escape route.

For more information visit the Fire Kills Facebook page at facebook.com/firekills.

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