Margaret is pictured outside her home with a copy of 'Fire Safety in the Home'. Click here for more information about this booklet and for a link to a PDF.

23 December 2008

When the national smoke alarm campaign returns to television screens on Christmas Day for its final five-week run, a 75-year-old Buckinghamshire resident will reflect on how lucky she is to be alive.

Margaret Spurrell, from Upper Church Street, Cuddington, had a fire in her home when the Pull Your Finger Out advertisements, fronted by actress Julie Walters, were last screened in October.

Margaret said: “I wouldn’t be here today if it wasn’t for my smoke alarms. Buckinghamshire Fire & Rescue Service saved my life by putting them in.”

Margaret’s remarkable story began in summer 2007, when she attended the village’s annual fete. Firefighters from Haddenham Fire Station were also there, giving fire safety advice to residents and inviting them to book free fire safety checks in their homes.

Margaret accepted the invitation and was later visited by firefighters from Aylesbury Fire Station, who fitted 10-year smoke alarms upstairs and downstairs.

Eleven weeks ago, she had just had some toast in her kitchen when she heard one of the alarms go off.

“I thought that maybe I had overdone the toast, but when I went to stop the smoke alarm sounding it kept going,” said Margaret.

“By that time I could actually smell smoke, and it was then that I realised it was the smoke alarm upstairs that was going off.

“Just at that moment, a friend who was passing burst through the front door and said, ‘Margaret, you have smoke and flames coming from your bedroom window!’”

Margaret and her friend, Lisa Wright, went upstairs to find the curtains on fire. Rays from the sun had been intensified by a make-up mirror on the dressing table and reflected back on to the material.

They quickly unhooked the curtains and threw them out of the window. Luckily they were not injured in the process.  

Margaret said: “You don’t realise how easily you can start a fire. In another five minutes the whole house would have gone up.

“Every time I see Julie Walters reminding people about smoke alarms I think to myself, ‘You’re absolutely right there, Julie – that's why I’m alive today.'

"I hope what happened to me will encourage even more people to take note of what she says."

The final burst of the Pull Your Finger Out advertising will be screened until 31 January 2009. It encourages people to check that their smoke alarms are working by pushing the test button once a week.

Terry Ridgley, Buckinghamshire Fire & Rescue Service’s community safety manager, said: “Margaret is living proof of just how important a working smoke alarm can be.

“We would like to thank her for the kind words she has said about us - her story is a shining example of the effectiveness of the work we do to try to prevent people from having fires in the first place, and to maximise their safety in the event of one.”

Terry’s top smoke alarm tips:

• Fit a smoke alarm on each level of the property. When a fire starts, you only have a few minutes to escape so an early warning is vital. Make sure you replace battery-operated smoke alarm units after 10 years. Alternatively consider installing a 10-year battery smoke alarm or mains powered alarm.
  
  
• Test it weekly - a working smoke alarm can buy you valuable time to get out, stay out and dial 999.
  
  
• Plan your escape route. Make sure you and your family know the quickest way out in the event of fire. Consider an alternative route in case your usual one is blocked.
  
  
• Stay safe in the kitchen. This is the area where most house fires start. It only takes a minute to check electrical appliances are switched off. Also, never leave cooking unattended.
  
  
• Ask the experts. Buckinghamshire Fire & Rescue Service offers free home fire risk checks to identify potential fire risks and advise what to do to reduce or prevent them. To find out more, ring 01296 744477, send an email to cs@bucksfire.gov.uk or fill in the online form