More than 1,000 West Cumbrian householders are being offered free home safety checks by the county's Fire and Rescue Service thanks to a partnership between firefighters and one of the county's biggest social landlords.
Working with Impact Housing, firefighters have identified and contacted 1,000 of the housing association's tennants in Copeland and Allerdale offering the free checks which are designed to make sure people have working smoke detectors, basic fire prevention advice and a plan of how they will get out of their home in the event of a fire.
Figures show that two in every three people who die in fires do so before the Fire and Rescue Service is even called - making it a priority for Cumbrian firefighters to try and make sure everyone, especially people in high risk groups, knows what to do to prevent fires from happening in the first place.
Since 2003, Cumbrian firefighters have carried out more than 30,000 Home Safety Checks. Over the same period, the number of people injured in accidental dwelling fires in the county has fallen by two thirds (65 per cent).
Over the coming months, firefighters and community safety officers will be visiting hundreds of homes identified with the help of Impact Housing to provide the free checks.
Councillor Elizabeth Barraclough, cabinet member responsible for Cumbria Fire & Rescue Service, said: ""Putting prevention on an equal footing with cure is a key priority for Cumbrian firefighters. Smoke detectors give people that valuable early warning which helps to prevent many fires from happening in the first place.
"This latest iniative with Impact Housing is another example of the Fire and Rescue Service's work with partner organisations in the interests of improving safety right across the county."
ENDS
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