10 March 2009
Government figures show that accidental home fires started by cigarettes or other smoking materials led to 99 deaths and more than 1,000 injures in the UK in 2007.
Because of the serious fire risks caused by smoking, Buckinghamshire Fire & Rescue Service is supporting No Smoking Day 2009 and giving smokers yet more reasons to quit on March 11 and beyond.
Community safety manager Terry Ridgley said: “People shouldn’t underestimate the dangers associated with smoking in the home if cigarettes aren’t properly extinguished.
"The economic price of a house fire is immense, and you can’t put a cost on the lives of loved ones. I would encourage smokers to give up this No Smoking Day, or at the very least pay careful attention to smoking materials.”
Although no-one died in Buckinghamshire or Milton Keynes in a house fire started by smoking materials in 2007, five people suffered injuries.
Terry continued: "A cigarette burns at up to 700 degrees centigrade, so if you must smoke, make sure when you put it out, it really is out. That final check could save you and your family's life."
Dan Tickle, Chief Executive of the charity No Smoking Day, said: "Seventy per cent of smokers want to stop, but aren’t aware that there is free, local help available to them.
"Your local stop smoking service can increase your chances of success by four times. Why not take the first step this No Smoking Day and feel fitter and healthier.”
Fires caused by cigarettes can be prevented by taking a few simple precautions:
- Take extra care when you're tired, taking any sort of drugs or have been drinking alcohol. It's very easy to fall asleep while your cigarette is still burning.
- Never smoke in bed - if you need to lie down, don't light up. You could doze off and set your bed on fire.
- Never leave lit cigarettes, cigars or pipes unattended - they can easily overbalance as they burn down.
- Buy child-resistant lighters and matchboxes - every year children die by starting fires with matches and lighters. Keep these where children can't reach them.
- Use a proper, heavy ashtray that can't tip over easily and is made of a material that won't burn. Make sure your cigarette is not still burning when you are finished - put it out, right out.
- Tap your ash into an ashtray, never a wastebasket containing other rubbish - and don't let the ash or cigarette ends build up in the ashtray.
- Make sure your smoke alarm is properly maintained - when a fire starts, you only have a few minutes to escape. A working smoke alarm can buy you valuable time to get out, stay out and dial 999.
- Put it out, right out! Make sure your cigarette is fully extinguished.
- 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. Ring 01296 744477, email cs@bucksfire.gov.uk or fill in the online form.
Local case study
In January 2009 a man finished smoking a cigarette, put it in a waste bin and then went back to bed. The result was in a fire in his flat, within a block of flats. His flat was inhabitable following the fire, and he was given two months' notice by his landlord.
Fortunately the smoke detectors which Buckinghamshire Fire & Rescue Service installed following a previous fire went off, as did the hard wired alarms in the hallway and stairwell.
For advice on giving up
For local advice and help on giving up smoking please contact:
Buckinghamshire - call 0845 2707 222, email stopsmoking@buckspct.nhs.uk or visit the website at www.smokescape.org
Milton Keynes - call 01908 500096
Other useful websites
www.nosmokingday.org.uk
www.gosmokefree.nhs.uk