Firefighters across South Yorkshire are asking the county’s residents to not believe everything they read or hear when it comes to fire safety. The warning, issued by South Yorkshire Fire & Rescue, comes amidst a ‘cost of living’ crisis that has seen potentially dangerous money-saving ‘hacks’ being shared online.
Fire crews have also attended a number of fires locally, over the winter period, which have been started through unsafe heating practices. The service is therefore asking people across South Yorkshire to keep fire safety at the top of their mind when they are seeking to save money.
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“We’re very aware of the cost pressures everyone is facing currently, and we’d really urge anyone who is in trouble to seek support,” said SYFR Area Manager, Matt Gillatt.
There are a lot of ‘money-saving hacks’ doing the rounds that really aren’t very safe
“However, we’d also like to encourage people to be sensible and safe when it comes to cutting costs – keeping fire safety at the front of their minds at all times. We really want people to be vigilant around the stuff they read online or on social media. There are a lot of ‘money-saving hacks’ doing the rounds that really aren’t very safe.”
Replacement of smoke Alarms
Some of the money-saving ‘hacks’ the service is referring to include using terracotta pots, baking trays and tea light candles to create DIY room heaters. Fire officers are also concerned that people may delay the replacement of smoke and carbon monoxide alarms in order to save money.
They are keen to stress that not only is there a range of financial support available, but the service offers free home safety checks to those deemed at increased risk of fire.
online home safety assessment
At this visit our crews will install free smoke alarms and offer a range of advice on how to stay safe
“We want people to know that we are here if they need us–we offer a free online home safety assessment and then, if necessary, will come out and conduct an in-person visit. At this visit our crews will install free smoke alarms and offer a range of advice on how to stay safe from fire, before signposting residents to any additional support they may need."
"And if you have a neighbor, friend, or relative that you feel needs our help–we can do that too. You just need to carry out the online assessment on their behalf.”
Key advice for South Yorkshire residents
The service is offering key advice to people, as part of this latest campaign, to keep safe:
- Ensure only buy genuine electrical items from reputable suppliers
- Ensure the use of the correct fuel in log burners
- Have the chimney swept every year by a registered chimney sweep
- Ensure have working smoke alarms on every level of the home
