Brigade safety day a roaring success

Horsham Fire Brigade hopes to make an Electrical and Home Fire Safety Day an annual event after a successful gathering at its Hamilton Street station.

Brigade captain John St Clair said 111 people made the most of the occasion, which also involved a variety of demonstrations and children’s activities.

“We tested about 40 electrical appliances and had a lot of good results,” he said.

“It is the second time we’ve run this event and the goal is to make it happen every year.”

The brigade invited people to bring electrical items such as kettles, power cords, hair dryers and electric blankets to the day to get them tested by a qualified electrician.

The idea was to help reduce the number of residential fires in Horsham district caused by faulty appliances.

Faulty electrical products caused some of the 25 residential fires the brigade attended in 2018.

Sunday’s event included demonstrations, such as how to safely use fire blankets or fire extinguishers, giveaways, a raffle and a barbecue.