Monday 21 June
2010
11:00hrs
With all eyes on South Africa for the World Cup many of us might be
thinking of having a flutter, but Avon Fire & Rescue Service
(AF&RS) is urging football fans not to gamble with their lives
this month.
More than 50% of
all accidental house fires attended by AF&RS start in the
kitchen - many as a result of cooking being left unattended.
Firefighters often see cases where people have come home after a
few drinks out, put food in the oven, under the grill or on the hob
and then fallen asleep. The result can be a fire breaking out in
the kitchen, filling the home with toxic smoke.
In a bid to ensure
World Cup revellers take particular care, crews across the Avon
area will be visiting pubs, bars and other venues showing matches
to spread the safety message. AF&RS has produced a series of
light-hearted posters displaying genuine World Cup betting odds,
compared against the odds of a drunk football fan accidentally
setting fire to their kitchen.
This week
firefighters from Weston-super-Mare paid a visit to The Golden Lion
on the High Street in Worle which has recently reopened. Owners
Rachael Furniss, Tom Hall and Chris and Drew Murtagh have given
their support to the campaign by displaying the posters.
Station Manager
Andy Southard from AF&RS said: “The posters are designed to
make drinkers smile, but they deliver a really important and
potentially life saving message. It’s really simple, if you’ve had
an alcoholic drink please, don’t try and cook. The World Cup only
comes around every four years, but if you’ve had a drink during the
game, pick up a takeaway or make a cold sandwich. Trying to use the
grill, hob or oven is a recipe for disaster.
“In many cases our
crews wake up and rescue drinkers from their smoke filled homes,
often after they have slept through bleeping smoke alarms or
concerned neighbours banging on the door.
“Even a fit,
sober, person can die from inhaling just a few breaths of toxic
smoke, so if you’re drunk and you have a kitchen fire the odds of
escaping definitely aren’t in your favour.”
Read our advice on cooking safely
during the World Cup.