Smoking - source of fires

With many people thinking about the health risks that smoking brings during ‘National No Smoking Day on 10 March 2010, Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service are urging people to think about the fire risks linked to smoking.

If you smoke at home you are nearly 35% more likely to have a fire in your home than a non smoking home. In the UK between 2000 and 2005 on average, there were 132 accidental fire deaths in homes caused by smoking materials. A third of these fires occur between 10pm and 3am so we are urging people to quit or take care if smoking at home, particularly at night. Last year in Greater Manchester we attended 194 incidents in homes as a result of careless use of smoking materials.

For those not ready to kick the habit this No Smoking Day, it is important to follow these simple precautions to prevent a fire in your home:

• Keep matches and lighters away from children 
• Put it out, right out! Make sure cigarettes are fully extinguished 
• Take extra care if tired, taking medication / 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, land on a carpet or newspaper and start a fire 
• Use heavy ashtrays that can’t tip over easily and are made of a material that won’t burn 
• Tap your ash into an ashtray, never a bin containing other rubbish – and don’t let the ash or cigarette ends build up in the ashtray 
• Fit and maintain a smoke alarm - a working smoke alarm can buy you valuable time to get out, stay out and dial 999. You can buy a smoke alarm for roughly the same price as a packet of cigarettes

If you would like to arrange a free home fire risk assessment for yourself, on behalf of a member of your family or a friend please contact us by calling us free on 0800 555 815 or visit www.manchesterfire.gov.uk