SAFE AS HOUSES
Firefighters train at new £30,000 facility to spot dangers and cut risk to vulnerable people at home
FIREFIGHTERS are being trained to help vulnerable elderly people stay safe at home in an innovative new scheme.
A custom-built house has been created to highlight common dangers in the home.
The £30,000 facility will be used to teach members of the emergency services and relatives of elderly or vulnerable people to look out for hazards that could lead to accidents, fires and falls.
It was opened yesterday at the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service HQ in Cambuslang, near Glasgow, by community safety minister Annabelle Ewing.
She said: “The intention is to identify the risks that could face an elderly person suffering from dementia, for example.
“We can seek to find solutions that allow that person to live at home for as long as they can.”
Crews will be trained at the Safe and Well House on community issues and home safety. The kitchen has a lockable stove while rooms have trip hazards and hair straighteners are left on a bed.
Assistant Chief Officer David McGown said: “Firefighters are increasingly called on to assist with forced entry or are first on the scene giving emergency first aid.
“In this house we can train for casualty handling and falls assessments, bogus callers and even for dealing with evidence of domestic abuse.
“Agencies we will be working with include NHS Scotland and Alzheimer Scotland.
“It gives firefighters extra chances to keep people safe and that is what they signed up for.”