Safety advice to make festive season a fire-free celebration

11:12am Friday 15th December 2000

KENT Fire Brigade is warning people to take care over the festive season.

With people focused on merry-making, it says there is more danger of a fire starting.

A spokesman said: Christmas is a time for family gatherings, celebration and merry-making. We wouldnt like to see this spoilt by a fire which, with a few basic precautions, can be prevented.

The advice for a fire-free Christmas is:

l Never overfill pans. They should be filled to only a third of their depth and never leave them unattended;

l Extinguish cigarettes and pipes before going to bed and put matches and lighters where children cannot get to them;

l Check for danger signs on electrical appliances such as hot plugs and sockets, scorch marks and fuses which blow for no apparent reason;

l Make sure you have at least one smoke alarm in your house. Dont forget to replace the battery and check it is working by using the test button;

l If you do have a fire, never put yourself in danger trying to put it out. If you are in doubt, call the fire brigade out and stay out.