The danger of candles left burning was destructively illustrated in Hastings recently when a double garage containing stored furniture and a trailer were gutted by fire.

If using candles, please remember:

1. Use candles in a secure candleholder with a wide flat base

2. Keep candles away from paper, curtains, bedclothes and anything that will burn easily

3. Put out candles before you go to sleep or leave a room

4. Don't allow children to play with candles or be unsupervised in a room with a lit candle

Fire safety messages are an important element of a pro-active community culture.  To me, empowering people to have FireWise reflex is essential.  People that know what to do, tend to panic less and come out of traumatic incidents in better mental shape than those who are unprepared. 

In my own personal experience, I can recall times when I have arrived at a motor vehicle crash and been immediately able to swing into action because someone had done those simple but effective safety actions or first aid procedures.  Often they would say to me, “I didn’t do much, just what I felt I could do from what I remembered hearing or reading somewhere”. And that was the whole point of it all.  They felt they could do something, they felt more confident to deal with the situation.

Chimneys fires were another one of those calls where I felt grateful for people’s empowerment.  When the rumbling sound of fire echoes in the chimney and flames suddenly appear from the roof, people feel threatened and at a loss but being able to fall back on their FireWise behaviour helped produce better outcomes.  Each of us brings our own skills into play to counter fire’s greediness and this is what I’d like you to remember in case of a fire:

• Get down, get low, get out!
• Shut doors behind you to slow the spread of fire
• Meet at your planned meeting place (the letterbox perhaps?)
• Once out, stay out!
• Dial 111 and ask for the Fire Service from a safe phone

What if someone is still inside a burning house?  NEVER go back inside.  You can provide valuable asssitance to firefighters on their arrival by telling them who is inside (age, sex, disabilities etc.) and where to find them (room, access).

In Brigade news this month, members undertook a familiarisation visit to the maximum-security prison at Paremoremo as we are one of the back-up appliances to calls there.

Thanks to Steve Hey and Scott Rees for assisting the Greenhithe Lions by driving the fire appliance during their Telethon collection.

AND DON’T FORGET…daylight saving starts the last Sunday of September – PLEASE remember to check, clean and if applicable, change the batteries in all your alarms.  If you need any assistance with this, please call the station on 413 9847. 

Concluding word: One does not use both feet in testing the depth of the river.

Firefighter Isabelle LARDEUX-GILLOUX