South Yorkshire Fire and Rescue

South Yorkshire Fire and Rescue
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Fire Service donates water safety equipment to charity

Firefighters have donated new equipment to the Swinton Lock Activity Centre which offers educational and leisure daytrips on their narrowboat to youngsters.

South Yorkshire Fire & Rescue (SYFR) has given the charity two water throwlines to assist with the safety on the boat.

Swinton Lock Activity Centre is a community based arts, education and activity centre next to the Sheffield & South Yorkshire Navigation Canal at Swinton.  They provide a wide range of activities for young people including fishing, arts and crafts, spraycan art and boat handling on their own narrowboat which is used for residential and accredited boat handling courses.

A number of the youngsters who attend the centre have been involved in anti social behaviour such as fire setting and other behavioural issues and find it difficult to integrate into schools.  The centre helps them develop their social skills by offering a variety of activities to take part in which helps to build their confidence.

Crew Manager Adam Dilkes, a firefighter at Rotherham fire station, has been attending the centre for the past two years talking to the youngsters about fire safety and promoting a positive image of the fire service.

Crew Manager Adam Dilkes said; “I am really pleased that we have been able to help the centre by giving them this life saving equipment, and that I also get the chance to educate them of fire safety issues and give advice on life experiences while encouraging the youngsters to think about their behaviour and the effects of it.”

Sharon Cooke, from Swinton Lock Activity Centre, said: “The staff, boat volunteers and crew of Swinton Lock Activity Centre would like to say a massive thank you to South Yorkshire Fire & Rescue for donating brand new throwing lines for use on our canal boats. They are a crucial piece of life saving equipment to have when the boat is in use and for training purposes. Working on and right beside the canal makes water safety a priority for us all.

“As a small independent Charity the help and support no matter how big or small, provided by the local community, South Yorkshire Fire & Rescue and local business has a huge impact and enables us to help and support others.”

Fire service delivers safety advice to Page Hall residents

The fire service has launched a fresh drive to make homes safer in the Page Hall area of Sheffield.

Community safety staff at South Yorkshire Fire & Rescue are visiting residents and carrying out home safety checks, thanks to the services of a translator provided by a local lettings agent.

Global Lettings, which is based in the area, has donated the services of a translator to help fire service staff communicate with the area’s largely Roma and Roma-Slovak community.

SYFR Area Manager Steve Helps said: “South Yorkshire is safer from fire than it’s been at any time in its history, but it’s important that we continue to target our safety advice at all sections of the community, including new migrants.

“During a home safety check, fire service staff speak to residents about how to prevent common causes of fire like cooking and electrics and fit smoke alarms where needed.”

Click here to book a safety visit

 

Fire service launches safety campaign as growth in electrical fires revealed

A rise in electrical fires across South Yorkshire has been blamed on everything from phone chargers to e-cigs.

Fire officers say that whilst nearly every type of fire has reduced significantly during the last decade, thanks to safety visits and better awareness of risks, electrical incidents have stubbornly refused to drop.

Electricity is involved in about two thirds of all accidental house fires, with household appliances the most common culprits.

There were 190 house fires involving electricity in 2014/15, up from 165 the previous year and 150 in 2012/13. The kitchen is the most likely room in the house where electrical fires will start.

Sometimes fires are caused by faulty goods, which could be small items like mobile chargers, or big things like washing machines and dryers.

Fires are also caused by people misusing electrical appliances, for example by leaving them plugged in for too long or covering them up allowing them to overheat.

Head of community safety Trevor Bernard, said: “This isn’t about scaremongering but about making sure that consumers have all the available safety information. The vast majority of electrical goods are manufactured to very high safety standards, but sometimes if they are misused or if there is a fault with the device they can start a fire.

“The simple truth is that homes have more small electrical devices in them than probably any time in our history- from tablets and mobile phones, to e-cigarettes and games consoles. Unfortunately, we can’t get round everyone’s home to check the safety of their electrics for them. But by raising awareness of the biggest safety issues. we hope we can give people the knowledge to check their own electrics and hopefully prevent a serious fire.”

The fire service has issued the following advice to stop fires:

  • Don’t buy cheap, unbranded chargers and make sure chargers are compatible to the device you are using
  • Don’t leave things to charge overnight or beyond the recommended charging time. Always follow the manufacturer’s instructions
  • Keep electrical items away from flammable materials when charging
  • Don’t overload sockets– long, strip adaptors are safest, but can only take a total of 13 amps

Officers are also encouraging visitors to check the safety of their home electrics by completing a short, online checklist at 13orbust.co.uk 

The fire service’s campaign will see advertising vans carry key safety messages to areas of South Yorkshire known to experience high numbers of house fires.

Landlords’ smoke alarms reminder six months after safety law came into force

South Yorkshire landlords are being urged to comply with new fire safety laws– six months after legislation requiring all privately rented homes to be fitted with smoke and carbon monoxide detectors came into force.

Since October last year, private landlords have been required to fit smoke alarms on each floor of their rental properties and install carbon monoxide alarms in rooms containing solid fuel burners – such as cookers and heaters – or face a £5,000 fine.

Fire officers say whilst most landlords in South Yorkshire are complying with the safety laws, there remains confusion amongst both landlords and tenants about their responsibilities under the new law.

South Yorkshire Fire & Rescue Area Manager Steve Helps, said: “The private rented sector provides homes for some of the county’s most vulnerable groups and there is no doubt that these regulations will make privately rented accommodation safer and save lives.

“We want to help South Yorkshire’s private landlords meet their fire safety responsibilities under this new law and would urge them to take the time to understand the legislation and fit detectors where required.

“Tenants can also play a part in taking responsibility for their own safety by reminding their landlords about the new legislation if there are no smoke or carbon monoxide alarms in their home.”

Your landlord must:

  • Follow safety regulations
  • Provide a smoke alarm on each storey and a carbon monoxide alarm in rooms with a usable fireplace or woodburner
  • Check you have access to escape routes at all times
  • Make sure the furniture and furnishings they supply are fire safe
  • Provide fire alarms and extinguishers if the property is a large House in Multiple Occupation (HMO)

For more information visit https://www.gov.uk/private-renting/your-landlords-safety-responsibilities

Fire service team up with hospital for sleep safe campaign

Barnsley Hospital and South Yorkshire Fire & Rescue have teamed up to provide information and advice to new parents and parents-to-be.

Barnsley Hospital’s Maternity Services Team have been working with Community Safety Officers from South Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service to develop the Barnsley Babies Initiative. The initiative aims to raise awareness of how parents can ensure that babies are sleeping in a safe environment. The initiative was launched in line with the Lullaby Trust’s national Sleep Safe campaign.

The Sleep Safe campaign promotes the importance of safe sleeping for the whole family including advice and guidance on how to significantly lower the risk of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS). While SIDS is rare, there are essential things that parents can do, or avoid doing, to lower the chances of SIDS.

Barnsley Maternity Services team have undergone training with South Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service to learn about fire safety and how parents can ensure that their child is kept safe whilst sleeping. The Barnsley Babies initiative promotes messages including; the importance of a smoke free home and car, the best sleeping position and environment for babies and temperature control.

During the week commencing 14th March Barnsley Hospital will be supporting the national Safer Sleep Week. Maternity staff will be available in the Women’s Services Foyer between 9-4pm in to offer advice and information to parents, visitors and members of staff.

From Monday 14 March Barnsley midwives will provide all pregnant women with a Sleepsafe bag which includes a room thermometer which has advice about safe temperatures printed on it, a scan frame to display prenatal scans and a document file for parents to keep important health information about their baby in. The bag also has essential information and maternity contact details printed on it.

Joanne Poskitt, Specialist Midwife at Barnsley Hospital said: “We have been working with the Fire Service for a while now and we are extremely proud of the Barnsley Babies initiative, we have had some fantastic feedback from our mums. We are excited to launch the Sleepsafe bags for new parents and initial feedback has been positive. We encourage anyone who has any questions or needs advice on safe sleeping to come along to the Women’s Services main entrance during the week commencing 14 March and speak to a maternity staff member.”

For more information about the national Sleep Safe campaign, please visit the Lullaby Trust website at www.lullabytrust.org.uk.

Fire service backing for hair straighteners safety drive

Beauty appliances such as hair straighteners and curling irons are a major cause of house fires and dangerous burns, according to the latest research from Electrical Safety First. An estimated 650,0001 house fires in the UK have been caused by a straightener or similar device being left on.

To highlight the issue, Electrical Safety First, with the help of TV celebrity Fred Sirieix, is launching a new campaign today called ‘Pull the Plug’. This campaign is to remind grooming devotees to switch off their beauty appliances.

The findings of this research confirm that many of us are taking serious risks in our beauty regime: one in 12 women2 admit to having left their hair straighteners switched on at least once and almost half of women3 have panicked about leaving an electrical beauty device switched on when they’re out and about.

Emma Apter, Head of Communications at Electrical Safety First said:

“Our research shows that one in 12 women have left a beauty appliance switched on at some point or other, which is extremely worrying. Straighteners can reach temperatures of over 235° and can take up to 40 minutes to cool down. Considering that they reach temperatures hotter than a deep fat-fryer, there’s a very high risk of damage or fire if left near flammable materials.

“We’d like to encourage everyone to pull the plug on accidents caused by hair dryers, straighteners and curling irons. Switch devices off when you’ve finished using them, unplug them and leave them to cool on a mat or heat proof surface.”

Electrical Safety First research has found that people aged between 18 and 24 are particularly at risk. One in three people4in this age group has been burnt by an electrical beauty appliance. The research also shows that over 200,000 people in this age group have experienced a house fire caused by an electrical beauty appliance.

For more information visit www.electricalsafetyfirst.org.uk/pulltheplug or search the hashtag #PullThePlug.

 

Public asked not to buy extinguishers from boot sales and market stalls

South Yorkshire bargain hunters hoping to pick up a new year deal should avoid buying fire extinguishers at car boot sales, safety officers have warned.

Fire extinguishers are becoming an increasingly popular way for home owners to protect their properties from fire.

But experts at South Yorkshire Fire & Rescue say it’s important to only buy extinguishers from reputable retailers and to never purchase them second hand.

Technical Support Manager Terry Guthrie, said: “You should never purchase fire extinguishers from car boot sales or pop up market stalls, where you are not provided with any guarantee or warranty, or even if the extinguisher will actually operate.

“This is a purchase that may lead to you losing your home or business when the extinguishers fails to operate in an emergency.

“A further point to note is that any green coloured fire extinguishers seen for sale will normally contain Halon gas. This type of extinguisher has been withdrawn from sale since 2003 due to the gas it contains being banned because of its ozone depleting properties, they should therefore not be on sale or bought for private or business  use. “ 

Make dirty oven clean out New Year’s resolution, says fire service

Firefighters are urging people to make cleaning out their oven their New Year’s resolution.

Grime fires, caused by a build up of fat and grease in things like ovens and grill pans, are blamed for a big proportion of the 300 or so kitchen fires South Yorkshire Fire & Rescue attends each year.

A fire service survey last year found 40 per cent of people admit that they haven’t cleaned out their oven or grill pan for at least six months.

Head of community safety Trevor Bernard, said: “You’d be amazed how many homes we go to where minimum standards of hygiene and cleanliness aren’t maintained, putting residents at a real risk of having a fire that could severely damage their property.

“That’s why we’re raising awareness of this issue, to hopefully motivate people not to put off this particular household chore any longer and make cleaning out their oven their New Year’s resolution.”

Advice being given to residents includes:

  • Clean out ovens and grills regularly to avoid a build up of fat and grease
  • Ditch old fashioned chip pans, use oven chips or thermostat controlled fryers instead
  • Don’t attempt to cook if you’ve been out drinking, buy a takeaway instead

For more safety advice visit www.syfire.gov.uk

Fire service issues Black Friday fake goods warning

Fire officers are issuing Black Friday safety tips to shoppers, to stop them getting duped by dodgy goods online.

South Yorkshire Fire & Rescue (SYFR) is pointing to figures from Electrical Safety First, which show more than one million people bought fake goods in the UK last year.

The majority of those goods were bought online, with shoppers regularly misled by images stolen from official sites, fake safety marks or near to authentic pricing.

Counterfeit electrical products are particularly risky as they often contain faulty parts that can overheat and catch fire or deliver a fatal electric shock.

SYFR Area Manager Steve Helps, said: “Thousands of people will be using tempting black Friday deals to hunt for a tech bargain online, but we know that these often pose a serious risk of fire. Fake goods aren’t always easy to spot, but it’s well worth taking the time to consider the authenticity of a purchase.

“Electrical equipment causes a third of all the house fires we attend and in the UK last year electrical fires killed 50 people and injured 3,000 more.”

How to spot fake electrical products online

  1. If the price is (almost) right, it’s probably fake
    Some counterfeits are for sale just below the recommended retail value, hoodwinking shoppers that are too savvy to fall for the ‘too good to be true’ deals. Make sure you do your homework if you decide to buy products below high street retail prices.
  2. Don’t just take the seller’s word for it – or the reviewers
    Beware of a product with solely glowing reviews, especially if the reviewers aren’t verified. Some sites cross-reference user reviews with their buyer database and label those people as “verified purchasers”.
  3. Know where you’re buying from
    Make sure you know where the supplier is based, a ‘co.uk’ URL doesn’t guarantee the website is UK based. If there is no address supplied, or there is just a PO Box, be wary; many counterfeit electrical goods are manufactured overseas, where they will not be safety tested and are produced as quickly and cheaply as possible.
  4. Beware of words qualifying an item’s authenticity
    If the seller claims the product is ‘genuine’, ‘real’ or ‘authentic’ double check the source. Most reputable retailers don’t need to sell their products like this.
  5. Spot the lock to pay safely
    Look for websites that allow you to pay safely – these have a padlock symbol at the bottom of the screen when you are filling in your payment details. If you can’t see it, do not enter your payment details.

For more home fire safety advice visit www.syfire.gov.uk/safety-advice

Charity launches road safety push for people with learning difficulties and autism

A Rotherham based charity is working with the fire service to keep people with learning disabilities and autism safe on the roads.

Speakup Self Advocacy is using Road Safety Week (23 to 29 November) to kickstart its work to support people being safe on their bikes and when out walking during the darker, winter months.

Speakup’s two year initiative will create online films, Easyread books and training to help people with learning disabilities and autism be safer when out and about, including on the bus, train, tram and in a taxi.

It’s all part of a project funded through South Yorkshire Fire Authority’s Safer Stronger Communities Reserve fund. The funding, now in its second year, is the only fire service backed grant scheme of its kind anywhere in the country.

Speakup has been working with Government departments and national organisations for 28 years to develop information and training, which is suitable for people with learning disabilities and/or autism.

Speakup’s Geoff Doncaster, said: “People with learning disabilities and autism often miss out on road safety information as they struggle with printed text and find it hard to understand the other information which we all take for granted. It is hoped that by making accessible information on film and through Easyread books, people can be safer when out and about.”

South Yorkshire Fire & Rescue’s Lesley Hayhurst, said: “There’s a definite gap currently in the quality of information public services offer to people with autism and learning difficulties. By working with an organisation which specializes in delivering education and information to these vulnerable groups, this project gives us a real opportunity to change that, particularly in regards to road safety.”

The first film is now available on Speakup’s website