HCC has just launched our home fire safety campaign, Be HomeFire Aware, at Hertfordshire Fire and Rescue Service. This includes our new webpage and three months of activity from the HFRS Prevention team and Corporate Communications.
This year there is a particular focus on:
- Warning and informing residents about how to keep their homes safe from fire, including completing a fire escape plan.
- Increasing the number of people doing home fire safety self-checks.
- Decreasing the number of people who decline home visits when the fire service arrive, whilst reassuring them on the ways to spot scammers.
There were over 400 fires in Hertfordshire homes last year – the vast majority caused by accident and over a quarter through cooking appliances. Other top causes include faulty electrical appliances, overloaded sockets or damaged chargers, smoking, lithium ion batteries and candles. Yet there are some simple steps residents can take to protect themselves and their properties. HCC’s campaign seeks to highlight those through seven top tips, as well as new advice on the top causes of home fires.
They would really appreciate your support in:
- Sharing about our campaign with residents in your areas;
- Encouraging residents to complete home fire self-checks; and
- Explaining how residents can spot scammers, who might pretend to be conducting a home fire safety visit and try to ask for money (see the partner text in the toolkit).
You can share about their campaign through their dedicated toolkit, which has downloadable text to share with residents, images for social or newsletters, posters, advertising imagery and PowerPoint display slides. Thank you in advance.