NORTHERN Ireland Fire and Rescue Service (NIFRS) is appealing to anyone who has concerns about home fire safety to contact them, with the NIFRS move following the deaths of three people who tragically lost their lives in accidental fires over the past eight days in Northern Ireland, including a 74-year-old man from Newtownbutler.
The appeal to contact NIFRS for free home fire safety advice also followed the tragic death of a 61-year-old woman following a fire at her home in Lisburn this morning (May 6). The cause of the fire is believed to be accidental.
On April 28, a man (74) died in hospital following a fire at his home in Newtownbutler, and on April 30, a man (78) died following a fire at his home in Newry.
This morning, two fire appliances from Lisburn Fire Station attended the incident in Meadow Cres-cent, Lisburn at 6.02am, but tragically the woman was confirmed dead at the scene.
Referring to the three deaths, Assistant Chief Fire and Rescue Officer, Paddy Gallagher, said: “On behalf of NIFRS, I would like to extend my sincere sympathies to the families and friends of the deceased at this difficult time.
“In a period of just over a week, we’ve seen three such incidents across Northern Ireland, all in-volving people aged over 60."
He explained that with Covid restrictions still in place preventing household visits, it’s more im-portant than ever that people check in with older family members and friends, and consider their fire safety.
"This can be done safely via telephone, virtually or by calling outside their home or garden at a safe distance.
“Talk to them about their fire safety, and remind them of the importance of testing their smoke alarm once a week, having a bedtime fire safety routine, a fire escape plan, and what they should do in an emergency.
“If you have any concerns, do not hesitate to contact us by calling our HQ at 0289 266 4221, or visit-ing our website at www.nifrs.org.
“Our firefighters will provide you with detailed advice, and in some circumstances, can visit the home of someone, using personal protective equipment, to carry out a free home fire safety check and fit a smoke alarm.
“We need the public’s help to help us protect the most at risk in our community from fire. We must do everything we can to help stop fire.
“Remembering this simple ‘STOP’ slogan can help make us all safer – ‘S’ is for smoke alarm; make sure you have at least one working smoke alarm on every floor of your home. ‘T’ is for test those smoke alarms weekly. ‘O’ is for obvious dangers; be aware of the common causes of accidental fires, including smoking materials, electronics and cooking. ‘P’ is for plan your escape – make sure you have an escape plan in the case of a fire starting.”