Tuesday 22 September
09.30hrs
Residents of more
than 6,000 properties in North Somerset will receive fire safety
advice in their homes, thanks to a partnership between the
district’s largest landlord and Avon Fire & Rescue Service
(AF&RS).
Today NSHousing and AF&RS officially signed an agreement
to launch a three year programme to provide fire safety advice in
the homes of thousands of people living in the area.
Through the
partnership Home Fire Safety Visits will be carried out in every
one of NSHousing’s 6,000 homes, providing tenants with advice on
reducing the risk of house fires. The smoke alarms in the property
will also be checked to ensure they are in working order.
Staff from
NSHousing and Quadron, which carries out maintenance work for the
association, have been trained by firefighters from AF&RS to
deliver the potentially life saving advice to residents as part of
their standard inspections. During the visits to local homes they
will discuss fire safety issues with tenants and provide
information and leaflets. The most at risk tenants will be referred
to AF&RS staff who will revisit the home to provide more
specific help and advice.
Steve Drew,
Director of Assets at NSHousing said: “NSHousing is committed to
providing a safe environment for all our tenants and we are
delighted to be part of this initiative which will greatly reduce
fire risk in the home. It is an excellent example of partnership
working with real and lasting benefits for everyone.”
Robin Manners,
Avon Fire & Rescue Service Group Manager for North Somerset
added: “This partnership provides us with unique access to some
members of the community that, in our experience, are most at risk
of having a fire in their home.
“Through the
strong links we have now developed with NSHousing and Quadron, many
thousands of tenants in the area will now have a far greater
awareness of fire safety which really could save their
lives.”