·                     Follow the safety instructions provided with disposable barbecues.   Never use a barbecue indoors.

·                     Never leave a barbecue unattended.

·                     Make sure your barbecue is well away from sheds, fences, trees, shrubs or garden waste.

·                     Use enough charcoal to cover the base of the barbecue, but not more (normally around 5cms or 2 inches).

·                     Keep children, pets and garden games away from the cooking area.

·                     After cooking, make sure the barbecue is cool before moving it.

·                     Empty ashes onto bare garden soil, not into dustbins or wheelie bins.   If they’re hot, they can melt the plastic and cause a fire.

·                     Enjoy yourself, but don’t drink too much alcohol if you are in charge of the barbecue.

·                     Always keep a bucket of water, sand or a garden hose nearby for emergencies.

In closing Mr Jones said: “This may seem a long list but most of these things are common sense.  By far the biggest danger is the use of flammable liquids to light the barbecue. Prepare well in advance and light the charcoal early. Most of all, enjoy yourself safely.”

 MESSAGE IN THE FRIDGE COULD SAVE YOUR LIFE

A scheme to save lives by people leaving a message for the emergency services in their fridge is being re-launched in Hartlepool.

The Message in a Bottle scheme, which is designed to let emergency responders easily find out about the health of a person they are treating, is going to be re-launched on Monday 23rd March.

The scheme is being supported by the Hartlepool Primary Care Trust alongside Cleveland Fire Brigade, Cleveland Police, North East Ambulance Service (NEAS), Anchor Trust Community Development Team and the local Lions Charity who are providing 3000 distinctive green and white plastic bottles.

The idea is to put vital medical details on a form which is placed in the bottle and put in the fridge as this is a common item in the home which is usually in the kitchen therefore easy to find. A sticker is given to place in the inside of the door of the property to let emergency staff know that details are there.

Fire crews will be piloting the initiative in the Headland, by visiting people, explaining about the scheme and distributing the containers which have been supplied by the Lions organisation. Once the Headland has been targeted the scheme is set to spread out across the rest of Hartlepool.

Mick Jones, Headland Station Watch Manager said: “In the event of an accident or sudden illness, should any of the emergency services be called, they will be alerted immediately to the bottle by prominent stickers.

“It is vital that emergency crews have essential information to hand as soon as possible and this simple scheme will allow them to access that information immediately. The information includes medical information and details of who to call such as a family member.

“This scheme was originally started in Hartlepool in 2001 but it was decided through partnership meetings that a re-launch was in order because it could save people’s lives.

“We will be starting off by speaking to residents in the Headland area of Hartlepool to tell them about the scheme and providing the containers.  We hope that many people will start to utilise it.”

Tony Langley, Operations Manager for the Tees Division of NEAS said: “I think this is an excellent scheme as it helps all emergency services to access important information very quickly.

“The Green bottles will help NEAS staff to quickly access patient’s medical information. We are asking our staff to hand out the bottles to patients they think would benefit from having one, typically those who take medication or have long-term health issues. This ultimately improves the speed and clinical care the patient then receives”.

Carole Johnson, Health Development Team Leader for Hartlepool PCT said: “Although this scheme is not new to the town we felt it was time to reintroduce it and get as many as people as possible on board. 

“We hope that people will take up the offer and ensure that the information kept in the container is kept up to date to enable services to react quickly to their individual needs, thereby possibly saving lives.”

              CLEVELAND FIRE BRIGADE IMPROVING WELL   IN AUDIT COMMISSION ASSESSMENT

A report released by the Audit Commission today has said that Cleveland Fire Brigade is ‘improving well’ and continues to provide good value for money whilst improving outcomes for local people.

All fire and rescue services are required to undertake annual performance assessments by the Audit Commission and Department for Communities and Local Government who set out their future work. The assessment consists of three elements in which the Brigade scored the following:

Direction of travel        -           Improving well

Use of resources        -           Performing well

Service assessment   -           Performing Strongly  (Maximum)

The assessment looks at the extent of each fire and rescue services improvement or deterioration from the previous year as well as how it manages its finances and how effective its plans are and responding to emergencies and incidents. The Brigade came out overall as performing well which means consistently above minimum standards.

Ian Hayton, Executive Director said: “We are pleased with the results although our figures speak for themselves with total fire calls reduced by 27% on last year, deliberate small fires down by 28% and accidental fires down by 26%”.

“We have been highlighted in the Audit Commission’s national report for exceeding our efficiency savings targets and being one of only four fire and rescue services (Northumberland, Greater Manchester and Merseyside) that have reported such savings as being equivalent to more than 15 per cent of their total expenditure in 2003/04.”

“We are making a positive difference to the lives of people in Teesside; we have seen year on year reductions in the number of accidental fires in the home since 1997 and our fire deaths are at an all time low contributing significantly to the delivery of  the lowest level of fire deaths in the UK since 1959.

“We hope to continue this trend of reducing fires in our area, ensuring we are protecting our local community whilst providing value for money.”

Fires in the Home

Learn and Live is the new Fire safety presentation designed by Station manager James Ruse, creator of the original Learn and Live Road Safety programme, since adopted by many Fire and Rescue services in the UK as their main tool to educate the public of the consequences of dangerous driving.

Using the proven template that worked so well in promoting road safety we have created a totally new method of delivering a Fire safety lesson in the comfort of a theatre, hall or classroom.

Fire Brigades, employers and the public themselves throughout the country cannot afford to pass up the opportunity of receiving this life saving education that uses realistic film footage, backed up with shocking statistics to demonstrate the devastating effects of fires in the home.

The presentation which lasts approximately thirty minutes covers the main causes of preventable domestic fires and enables the presenter to discuss the areas covered in Home Fire Safety Visits and show the consequences that can happen when that advice is ignored.

It is a method of delivering this life saving advice to members of the public that may have been difficult to access in the home as well as providing a new method to generate Home fire safety visits.

It is delivered by a Fire-Fighter who, using the experiences they have been exposed to when attending domestic house fires can connect with your audience in a new and innovative way.

If you would like to receive this important education, or know of any other groups who would benefit from it then please contact Cleveland Fire Brigade on 01429 872311 or contact

J Ruse on 07740152982

e-mail jruse@clevelandfire.gov.uk

Or,

S Brodie on 079872841129

e-mail sbrodie@clevelandfire.gov.uk

LOCAL BUSINESS MAN IS PROSECUTED UNDER FIRE SAFETY REGULATIONS

Businesses were warned yesterday that they could face severe penalties if they flout Fire Safety regulations.

The warning came after Cleveland Fire Authority successfully prosecuted Lee Pennick of the Seaton Hotel in Hartlepool.

On the 11^th December at Hartlepool Magistrates Court Mr. Pennick was found to have contravened 3 articles of the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005. These related to the failure to provide a suitable fire alarm system, failure to provide sufficient fire detection and failure to demonstrate that staff are adequately trained. Mr. Pennick was fined a total of £3500 for the 3 offences with costs of £2750.

Barry Waller, Head of Fire Engineering for Cleveland Fire Brigade said: “This legislation has been in place for 2 years and this represents the first prosecution taken by Cleveland Fire Brigade in that time. The circumstances found at the time of the inspection were so serious as to present a risk of death or injury to members of the public and staff and that is not something the Fire Authority can, or will, condone. It is important people realise we take these regulations very seriously and we will take such action whenever necessary.”

“We would like to reassure the public that the premises are now up to standard and do not present a serious fire risk.”

The offences came to light during an inspection of the premises by officers from Cleveland Fire Authority in October 2007.

The importance of such inspections and the need for compliance was highlighted in the early hours of the 12^th December when fire crews attended a fire in the laundry area of the Grand Hotel in Hartlepool. Early actuation of the smoke detectors in the basement area meant that emergency response was quickly mobilised and fire damage reduced. More importantly it meant that there were no injuries in the hotel.

Phil Lancaster, Director of Community Protection for Cleveland Fire Brigade said: “I would like to commend the professionalism of our staff in carrying out their duties in this case. I would also like to take this opportunity to remind people that the role of the Fire Service in relation to Fire Safety has changed to that of enforcement and that it is the responsibility of owners, occupiers or managers to ensure that suitable and sufficient fire safety arrangements are in place within their premises.”

If anyone is unsure of their responsibilities please contact the Fire Engineering Department at Brigade Headquarters in Hartlepool on 01429 872311.

Cleveland Fire Brigade is launching a scheme to increase home safety for drug and alcohol users and their families in Redcar.
The initiative, which is the first of its kind in the country, has been successfully piloted in Hartlepool andexpanded to Middlesbrough and Stockton in partnership with other agencies.
The programme is designed to increase fire safety, home security and in particular reduce the potential risk of children having access to medicine by providing secure medication cabinets.
The Brigade has a Drug and Alcohol Advocate, Lindsay Galbraith, whose role is dedicated to increasing fire safety awareness amongst drug and alcohol users.
Lindsay will be launching the scheme in Redcar on Friday 2 May at the Lifeline Project, 161 High Street, Redcar, when people are invited to refer themselves to the initiative or find out more information. Lindsay said: “The initiative was first launched in Hartlepool in August 2006 and because of its success we expanded it to the Middlesbrough District in May 2007 year then Stockton in November 2007. “Now the scheme is going from strength to strength and benefiting the community we have decided to expand it
again into the Redcar district.