Smokers in Cumbria are being urged to show caution at home as the new Smokefree legislation comes into force.
The amount of smoking at home is expected to increase as a result of the Smokefree legislation, which comes into effect on 1st July and bans smoking in public places and workplaces which are "enclosed or substantially enclosed".
Cumbria Fire and Rescue's Chief Fire Officer Dominic Harrison said:
"We welcome the introduction of a smoking ban in public places as a move to improve people's health. We would also urge those who choose to smoke in their homes to be aware of the dangers and take some simple precautions to protect themselves and their homes."
The following advice is being issued to anyone smoking at home:
- Put it out, right out! Make sure your cigarette is fully extinguished.
- Take extra care when you're tired, taking any sort of drugs or have been drinking alcohol. It's very easy to fall asleep while your cigarette is still burning.
- Never smoke in bed - if you need to lie down, don't light up. You could doze off and set your bed on fire.
- Never leave lit cigarettes, cigars or pipes unattended - they can easily overbalance as they burn down.
- Use a proper, heavy ashtray that can't tip over easily and is made of a material that won't burn. Make sure your cigarette is not still burning when you are finished.
- Tap your ash into an ashtray, never a wastebasket containing other rubbish and don't let the ash or cigarette ends build up in the ashtray.
- Get a smoke alarm. A working smoke alarm can buy you valuable time to get out, stay out and dial 999. To receive a free Home Safety Check, people can contact Cumbria Fire & Rescue Service on 0800-358-4777. Or if you prefer, you can buy and fit your own alarm - a 10-year smoke alarm costs roughly the same price as two packets of cigarettes.
Notes
Smoking materials are the biggest cause of fire-related death in the home and nearly a third of all households have a smoker living in them. Each year 1,770 people are either killed or injured by fires caused by smoking at home. Around a third of these fires occur between 10pm and 3am.
Already this month, careless smoking has been blamed as the reasonable supposed cause of a fire death in Cumbria. 56-year-old Hugh Styles died in a house fire in Howbank Road, Egremont on 5th June.
For more information visit www.firekills.gov.uk
ENDS
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