Drop in house fires welcomed
Water is the stuff of life and, in Scotland, we are blessed with a natural resource that makes us the envy of the world.
Now Scots are being encouraged to Top up from the Tap.
For the sake of your health, your pocket and the planet, it’s far better to refill reusable water bottles than fork out for plastic bottles of water.
On average, a litre bottle of water costs about 65p, so topping up daily from the tap could save £1.30 a day – that’s nearly £500 a year.
So resolve to make a difference in 2019 by carrying a refillable bottle and topping up from the tap wherever you are.
To make this easier, Scottish Water is installing a network of hi-tech public water refill points for people to top up their own bottles.
The first Top up Tap was introduced in Edinburgh, followed by Glasgow and Ayr, but Scottish Water is working with every local authority to identify suitable locations across Scotland.
Plans are on track to have 10 Top up Taps installed by the end of March and, during the next two years, 30 towns and cities will get one of the units.
But in the meantime, many local businesses are also pledging to help the public keep their water bottles filled-up.
Research shows 86 per cent of people in Scotland agree there should be more locations that offer easy access to water, yet currently less than a third would be happy to go in to a cafe and ask for their bottle to be filled – something the campaign aims to change. Why not ask your local cafés, shops and businesses to support the Your Water Your Life campaign by offering to fill water bottles from their tap? It’s easy to sign up on the ’Get involved’ section of the website.
Scottish water is tested every day and meets the strictest standards found anywhere in the world.
Around 95 per cent of the water from Scottish taps comes from rain that travels down from mountainous areas and percolates through the ground into our reservoirs. It is famously described as ‘soft’ and pleasant tasting, as it doesn’t contain as much of the calcium and limescale that can be found in other areas of the UK.
Elise Cartmell, chief scientist at Scottish Water, says a team of experts test the water quality every single day of the year, collecting around 250,000 samples annually.
Water samples from across Scotland are, on average, quality tested every two minutes to ensure the quality of Scotland’s tap water remains high.
“We are testing it to make sure the water that comes out the taps is wholesome and great-tasting. In terms of water quality standards, Scottish water is one of the best in the world,” says Elise.
Brian Lironi, director of corporate affairs with Scottish Water, said: “It’s great to see businesses helping encourage more people in Scotland to top up from the tap, by proactively offering water top ups in their premises.
“We’re investing in creating a network of Top up Taps across the country to make refilling on the go easier.
“And working with businesses to widen access to drinking water will undoubtedly help drive a change in culture where topping up becomes commonplace.” ROBERT MITCHELL
The number of accidental house fires have fallen to their lowest level in four years in South Lanarkshire.
Recently released statistics have shown that there was 49 such incidents in the area between July 1 and September 30 – the lowest number recorded since 2014 for that period.
The number of people who were injured in fire-related incidents also fell to their lowest level since 2013, with three people treated for injuries in the same time frame.
This compares to nine people in the reporting period for 2017 and down from 18 in 2015 – an 83 per cent reduction.
And despite experiencing one of the hottest and driest summers on record, the number of deliberate fires fell compared to the first three months of 2018 – from 262 incidents between January 1 and March 30, to 211.
Alan Fairbairn is the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service’s local senior officer (LSO) for the area. He said: “We are delighted to see the continued downward trend in fires across the area, particularly as we are seeing results where it matters most.
“Our crews are dedicated to preventing fires from happening in the first place and they have worked extremely hard, carrying out more than 800 home fire safety visits to the homes of our most vulnerable and elderly residents.
“As a direct result of this, the number of people harmed by fire has fallen to its lowest level in five years, alongside a fall in the number of accidental dwelling fires.”
The figures were released following a meeting of the Safer South Lanarkshire Board earlier this month.
Statistics show that distraction while cooking remains the number one cause of fires in the home, but LSO Fairbairn says that continuing to raise awareness of the risks is key.
He continued: “I must appeal to the community to continue helping us to drive down the number of unnecessary and potentially devastating fires – reach out to your friends, family members or neighbours that you think could benefit from one of our free home fire safety visits and get in touch with us.
“We are particularly keen to reach those who are most vulnerable and prevent harm wherever possible.”
LSO Fairbairn also welcomed a drop in the number of deliberate secondary fires, and said local partnership working and intelligence gathering was the key.
Deliberate secondary fires include fires in grassland, heath and rubbish and can have a potentially devastating effect on the environment and communities.
LSO Fairbairn continued: “This summer was very dry and warm, and as a result July saw a somewhat unprecedented increase in activity.
“However, we quickly acted on the intelligence gathered, identified key areas which we needed to focus on alongside our partners and the community – and as a result we saw the number of secondary deliberate fires almost halved in August, and further reduced in September.
“The message here is clear – we take a zero-tolerance approach to deliberate fire setting which can divert our resources from real emergencies and have a devastating impact on our communities.
“And we have the robust planning in place which means we continue to attend at every emergency.
“However we are committed to working with schools and the local authority to highlight the potential consequences of this activity and we will continue to work with our partners in Police Scotland to identify those responsible.”
The number of deliberate primary fires – which includes fires set within homes, businesses and vehicles – also fell for the third quarter in a row and fell from 41 incidents for the reporting period in 2017, to 34 in 2018.
The number of road traffic collisions in the reporting period also reached a record low – SFRS attended 26 incidents between July and September – the lowest number in five years.
LSO Fairbairn added: “I absolutely welcome this continued downwards trend in the number of road traffic collisions.
“Education is a massive factor in keeping South Lanarkshire’s roads safe and as part of this we are embracing the use of the latest and most innovative technology.
“Firefighters know how devastating the aftermath of an accident can be, and the tragic consequences. Now, SFRS and our partners can use virtual reality headsets which give people of all ages and experience levels an insight into what happens in the aftermath of a road traffic collision, and how they can avoid it happening to them.
“We will continue to work with the local authority and Police Scotland to raise awareness and drive the number of accidents down.”
To find out more about how to obtain a free home fire safety visit, click here www.firescotland.gov.uk/your-safety/ hfsv-form.aspx