Did you know that fires started by smoking materials cause more deaths than any other accidental fire in the home?*
This month, we’re supporting the Fire Kills campaign to help our residents stay safe while they smoke. Smoking materials cause a third of fatalities in accidental fires in the home, often due to people falling asleep while smoking, or not taking care whilst they’ve been drinking alcohol.*
We’ve put together some simple steps that you can take to ensure your safety while you smoke.
- Never smoke in bed. If you find yourself getting tired, put it out – it’s very easy to fall asleep while your cigarette is still burning which could set your bed or furniture alight.
- Never smoke when under the influence of drugs or alcohol. If your lit cigarette starts a fire you could be less able to escape.
- Put it out, right out! Make sure your cigarette is fully extinguished. A smouldering cigarette could cause a fire.
- Fit a smoke alarm on every level of your home and test them weekly. A working smoke alarm can buy you valuable time to get out, stay out and call 999.
- Never leave lit cigarettes, cigars or pipes unattended – they can easily overbalance as they burn down.
- Use a proper ashtray – a real ashtray is much safer than a bin, which could have flammable materials in.
Group Manager Lloyd Palmer said: “On average, someone in England dies from a fire ignited by cigarettes or smoking materials every five days.* Make sure you’re staying safe while you smoke by disposing of smoking materials properly – if you’re going to bed, make sure you put it out, right out. If your bed catches fire, it could be much harder for you to escape, so a few extra seconds to stub It out in an ashtray could save your life.
“Having a working smoke alarm on every level of your home will also help keep you safe. If a fire does start in your home, it could give you the extra few seconds to escape. Make sure you test it weekly and change it when necessary. This could be every 10 years or even every year, depending on the alarm.”
*Fire Kills