FIRE SAFETY DAY IN GREYSTONES
MEMBERS of Greystones Fire Brigade were outside the post office at the Meridian Centre on Friday, October 9, promoting fire safety.
This was part of Fire Safety Week. They were handing out free smoke alarms and carbon monoxide alarms to those who needed them.
Fire fighters were on hand to inform people about how to keep themselves as safe as possible. Station officer Ciaran Hayden said that they were hoping to encounter people living alone and the elderly as these groups can be vulnerable to fires in their homes.
People were visiting the post office and the crew members had a chat with them about what they have in place, whether they need to upgrade, and testing equipment.
‘It was an opportunity to have a chat with members of the community, give them a bit of reassurance and, if necessary, provide them with a smoke alarm.’ Their presence was well received, as they encouraged people to test smoke alarms weekly, as part of the ‘ Test it Tuesday’ campaign.
‘People put up smoke detectors and may forget to test them,’ said Mr Hayden. ‘We are asking them to set a day aside to do routine testing. Just press the button to check if it’s working.’
Fire fighters also explained the risk of carbon monoxide, which can be a silent killer. It can leak into the home via stoves, old boilers or central heating which hasn’t been serviced. A device to check levels is very cheap and effective and easily sourced at most hardware stores and supermarkets.