Louth set for week of fire safety

FIRE Safety Week was jointly launched by Fire Services North and South at Belfast Central Fire Station on Monday.

The event was launched by Gary Thompson, Chief Fire Officer, Northern Ireland Fire and Rescue Service and Eamon Woulfe, Chief Fire Officer, Louth County Council, representing the National Directorate for Fire and Emergency Management and Fire Services in the South.

Eamon Woulfe hopes that Fire Safety Week can be used to raise public awareness of the main causes of accidental fires in the home and how they might be prevented.

Based on fires attended by Brigades in the South over the past few years, cooking and heating are now the main causes of house fires.

In 2016, 38% of house fires were as a result of cooking and heating, whether through faulty appliances or hazardous practices such as leaving hot oil and cooking appliances unattended.

There are a number of Fire Safety Week activities planned in Louth.

All Brigades will be distributing fire safety in the home guidance leaflets to the public and these will also be available at Louth County Council offices.

There will be fire safety stands in the Lourdes Hospital in Drogheda and in the Marshes Shopping Centre in Dundalk, where fire crews will provide fire safety advice and will also be handing out smoke alarms and smoke alarm testers.

There will also be chip pan demonstrations in Dundalk and Drogheda, which vividly show the dangers of deep fat frying.

You can contact your local fire station in relation to Fire Safety week activities.