19 December 2008

We’ll be here if you need us over the festive period – but we hope everything goes so well that you won’t have to ask us to visit you!

If you do, you can rest assured that Buckinghamshire Fire & Rescue Service’s emergency control room will be available to deal with your 999 call, and that all 20 fire stations will be functioning as normal.

Firefighters will be on hand at our six wholetime shift stations – Aylesbury, Beaconsfield, Bletchley, Broughton, Great Holm and High Wycombe – and our four wholetime day-crewed stations – Amersham, Buckingham, Gerrards Cross and Newport Pagnell.

Crews will be on call at our 10 other stations – Brill, Chesham, Great Missenden, Haddenham, Marlow, Olney, Princes Risborough, Stokenchurch, Waddesdon and Winslow.

In total, around 150 firefighters and 10 senior officers will be on duty or on call, and three control room staff will be dealing with emergency calls.

Last Christmas Day, Buckinghamshire Fire & Rescue Service was called out to 16 incidents, and the year before 22. They included chimney fires, kitchen fires, car fires and road traffic collisions.

Community safety manager Terry Ridgley said: “Although we are always there when you need us in an emergency, we hope you won’t have to invite us to your Christmas celebrations.

“It can be so chaotic in some homes on the big day that it is easy for your concentration to slip and for something untoward to happen.

“By following a few simple pieces of advice, you can give yourself the best possible chance of making sure that it’s a safe holiday as well as a happy one.”

Terry’s top tips for a disaster-free festive period are:

• Don’t overdo it with your favourite tipple while you are cooking! The risk of accidents, especially in the kitchen, is greater after alcohol is consumed.
  
  
• If there are any smokers in your house, make sure they put out their cigarettes properly and are careful with matches and lighters.
  
  
• Celebrating with fireworks? Then store them in a metal box, read the instructions, never go back to a lit firework and keep a bucket of water nearby.
  
  
• Make sure your family and any visitors staying for the holidays know what to do in an emergency. Practise a fire escape plan.
  
  
• Switch off electrical appliances when not in use, unless they're designed to stay on. Always switch off and unplug Christmas lights before you go to bed.
  
  
• Never place candles near your Christmas tree, furnishings or decorations. Don't leave them burning unattended.
  
  
• Use the festive period as a reminder to carry out a weekly check on your smoke alarm. Test the battery and remove any dust from the alarm.
  
  
• Drive carefully if you are visiting friends or relatives - allow plenty of time for the journey, and check on the latest traffic and weather information.
  
  
• Finally, take the time to check on elderly relatives and neighbours – make sure they are safe from the risk of a fire.