FIRE SERVICE’S 47 CALL-OUTS IN ONE WEEK

WEXFORD County Fire Service responded to a total of 47 incidents between July 1 and 7.

In Wexford town there were 17 call-outs including two road traffic accidents, five fields fires, a forest fire, farmyard fire and both a car and caravan fire.

In New Ross there were four incidents including a car fire, field fire and a domestic house incident while the fire crews in Bunclody attended to six incidents ranging from field and forest fires to a domestic house fire, rubbish blaze and a chimney fire.

In Gorey there were nine incidents including a road traffic collision and a bonfire while the Enniscorthy crews had to deal with 11 call-outs including a traffic accident, two field fires, two forest fires and a domestic house fire.

However, the fire service had to attend to 20 different gorse fire incidents throughout the county over that seven-day period and an appeal has been made for the public to exercise caution when near gorse or wooded areas.

In Wexford the gorse fires were mainly in Mulgannon, the Rocks, Rosslare and Forth Mountain while in Gorey blazes broke out in the Clonattin and Courtown areas.

Gorse fires also broke out in the Mount Leinster lowlands near Enniscorthy and Bunclody.

Senior Assistant Chief Fire Officer, Ray Murphy, asked that people ‘ take care with the disposal of bottles and plastic which may ignite a fire’.

‘People should be extra vigilant on fire safety,’ he said. He reminded people not to leave electric, gas or oil heaters and appliances unattended.

‘Close all doors last thing at night and install a smoke alarm and test it regularly,’ he said.

Special care should also be taken in relation to discarding cigarette ends and no open fires should be lit near gorse or in wooded areas.

The Fire Service also highlighted its top 15 outdoor fire safety tips including: 1 - Never start a fire in open countryside; 2 - Don’t discard bottles or glass in woods or grassland (the sun’s rays can be focussed into a spot hot enough to start a fire); 3 - If you see a countryside fire call 112 or 999 at once; 4 - Never throw cigarettes or matches from car windows - put them out before leaving the car;; 5 - Don’t use candles in tents or caravans; 6 - Don’t cook inside your tent; 7 - Don’t dry damp clothes over a stove; 8 - Never smoke in your sleeping bag - no matter how cold it is outside; 9 - Never leave your barbecue unattended; 10 - When barbecuing have a bucket of water handy (small fire extinguishers are a worthwhile investment and are not expensive); 11 - Don’t use petrol or paraffin to start the barbecue; 12 - Don’t barbecue near sheds, fences, or under trees; 13 - Make sure you have a fully-charged phone to call the emergency services wherever possible; 14 - Don’t keep gas cylinders inside caravans; 15 - Don’t use gas heaters inside your tent – the fumes could kill you even if there isn’t a fire.