Festive season fire safety warning

If you're going on holiday this festive season, don't forget to take fire safety initiatives with you.

Tauranga Fire Risk Management Officer Bill Rackham hopes everyone has a safe and fun festive period.

That's the message from Tauranga Fire Risk Management Officer Bill Rackham, who says people often forget, or overlook fire safety when they go on holiday.

'Going on holiday isn't the time to forget fire safety, including basics like having smoke alarms, minimising fire hazards and having planned escape routes,” says Bill.

'People often get their car checked or serviced before going on holiday but forget about the basic fire safety rules that will also help keep them safe while on holiday,

'If you're planning to rent a bach this summer, ask if it has smoke alarms first.

'If you are planning on staying in a caravan or sleep-out, it won't take you much to pick up a couple of smoke alarms on the way and install them when you get to your holiday destination.”

Bill warns people not to overload rooms with people sleeping on mattresses on the floor because it's very hard to escape from fire when mattresses are strewn on the floor blocking doorways.

'People are slowly getting the message about doing those things at home, but they need to exercise care when they're on holiday and staying in temporary accommodation.”

The greatest cause of house fires is unattended cooking, tragically about one-third of those fires result in fatalities.

Bill adds: 'In most fires involving fatalities people did not have working smoke alarms in their homes”.

The NZ Fire Service encourages people in the Bay of Plenty to celebrate safely during the festive season.

'Don't leave cooking unattended and if you're hosting a party go online and look up the Party Signup survival guide at partysignup.co.nz for some useful information.

'Meanwhile, the hot and dry summer ahead means the risk of vegetation fires is probably higher and restrictions will be in place, so people needed to be extra careful when lighting outdoor fires,” says Bill.

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