Home Fire Safety is First off the Mark
Bedfordshire and Luton Fire and Rescue Service (BLFRS) is leading the way nationally in home fire safety checks and installation of smoke alarms. An example of partnership working at its best, the Home Fire Safety team, operational crews, external agencies and district council are making sure people are safer from risk of fire in their homes in Bedfordshire.
Karl Grant, Home Fire Safety Project Officer, was
recently joined by Ray Spry and Thomas Warner, Home Fire Safety Advisors, who
make up the Home Fire Safety team that is second to none.They bring together a combination of experience, enthusiasm and dedication to the team. Ray has over 29.5 years service as a firefighter in London and Thomas has returned after a successful temporary contract with BLFRS last year.
After working as Fire Control Operator for over 3 years with BLFRS, Karl completed a Junior Officer course at Fire Service College before taking up the challenge as Home Fire Safety Project Officer in 2003.
He explains:
"Partnership working is key to the success of Home Fire Safety (HFS) and that has meant convincing external agencies of the benefits and to bring them on board with training for their staff. This is no paper exercise but a way of educating and persuading people from those agencies working with us, to the people whose lives and property we are helping to protect."
Strong partnerships have been built with external agencies such as Social Services, Age Concern, private medical companies, Councils and Citizen's Advice Bureaux. This means that when carers or other representatives from these agencies go into people's homes to carry out assessments they can include a home fire safety check. Carers and others are trained to carry out these checks.
Smoke alarms can be fitted by partner agencies or the information can be referred back to the HFS team who will get the alarms fitted.
South Beds District Council now fits smoke alarms to unoccupied homes so that when they are ready for people to move into, the homes are safer. The Council provide HFS with details of the homes that have alarms installed.
Karl comments:
"It's important to gather and record information on home fire safety checks and we are responsible for administration of the BLFRS county-wide freephone service, taking calls, inputting information and reporting on outputs.
We are always looking at ways of
improving efficiency and now use tablet PCs that give us a distinct advantage.
These hand held computers are wireless and so can be moved from room to room
where the check is being carried out. They can be downloaded to computer when
back at base and so cut down on paperwork. The information is uniformly recorded
and that is essential for accurate statistics."
As well as carrying out home fire safety checks and installing smoke alarms, the HFS team pilots new equipment, so that operational crews can be assured that by the time it reaches them it has been rigorously tested.
Anyone living in Bedfordshire and Luton is entitled to a free home fire safety check and free smoke alarm(s) if needed. That also includes alarms that help the hard of hearing and portable or fixed sprinkler systems for those who are vulnerable or disabled.
Over the past few years Home Fire Safety has grown from a one-man band when Karl first took up his role to today, with a strong team working with operational crews and in partnership with agencies across Bedfordshire.
BLFRS was the first in the country with a Home Fire Safety team and they continue to lead the way by sharing good practice with other fire and rescue services who are keen to learn more about how it's done in Bedfordshire.
For a free home fire safety check:
Freephone 0800 043 5042