SAFETY FIRST
Andrea O’Neill
The council’s Bonfire‘Hit Squads’ will be out in force this fireworks season and are reigniting the call to locals to report dangerous bonfires.
Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) are also encouraging revellers to put safety first.
Around Bonfire Night firefighters attend an average of 40 per cent more incidents than during the rest of October and November and on November 5 itself the, SFRS attend four times as many call outs as on any other night taking them away from other incidents with potentially tragic consequences.
SFRS area manager Alan Fairbairn, the local senior officer for South Lanarkshire, said: “Everyone has their part to play in protecting our communities and preventing tragedy.
“Having to attend an unsafe bonfire makes a crew unavailable if a real emergency happens, meaning others would have to be sent from further away.
“If someone is trapped in a house fire or after a collision on the roads it’s vital firefighters can get to them as quickly as possible, so we want the public to help ensure they aren’t tied-up at needless incidents.
“By alerting the council to any build-ups of bonfire materials people can help them act to prevent illegal and unsafe bonfires potentially delaying firefighters getting to people in a life-threatening situation.
“We want people to have a great time without risking tragedy or horrific injuries, so we’re asking anyone who is thinking of holding their own bonfire or fireworks display to attend an organised event instead.”
Unofficial bonfires represent a far greater risk of accidents and injuries than Play it safe an organised fireworks display