Firefighters from Green Watch, Great Holm Fire Station, with community safety co-ordinator Ali Angus, second right, and Fireman Sam.

6 July 2008

How safe is your child at home? That was the question parents were asked to consider when Fireman Sam visited Toys R Us in Milton Keynes on Saturday.

Supported by real firefighters from Great Holm Fire Station, and some of Buckinghamshire Fire & Rescue Service's community safety staff, he was there to raise awareness of the simple safety measures that can make a home a safer place.

About a million children a year are taken to hospital after an accident at home, according to figures from the Child Accident Prevention Trust - a charity committed to reducing childhood injury. The vast majority of these accidents happen to the under-fives.

Parents at Saturday's event were handed safety leaflets and invited to take part in a prize draw. Children were invited to sample Buckinghamshire Fire & Rescue Service's Firefighter Experience. It's a lorry containing soft play equipment in which youngsters can search for casualties and rescue them - in complete safety, of course.