Boat Fire Safety Week
It’s time for all boats to have suitable smoke and carbon monoxide alarms
Next week (27th May to 2nd June) is the national Fire Kills Campaign’s Boat Fire Safety Week.
During the week North Yorkshire firefighters will be taking the message to boaters – It’s time for all boats to have suitable smoke and carbon monoxide alarms.
Fire crews will be visiting boat owners and handing out leaflets and advice to help crew members know the risks and how to protect themselves.
Timed for the start of the boating season, the heart of the message is that all crew members should understand the risks and follow the published advice from the Boat Safety Scheme in its leaflets and on its website.
Despite all efforts, should fire break out or a carbon monoxide escape occur, the critical survival factor will be the presence of suitable working smoke and CO alarms. The Scheme publishes lists of suitable alarms on its website and has advice from the manufacturers on the best places to fix the devices. Alarms should be tested using the test button routinely and the batteries replaced as necessary and never removed.
Boat Safety Scheme manager, Graham Watts said: “In the past 20 years, 30 boaters were killed in boat fires and another 30 lost their lives to the highly toxic CO gas.
“It’s time everyone in the boating community said ‘no more avoidable tragedies’. Being protected by suitable smoke and carbon monoxide alarms should be viewed as a normal part of boat ownership.”
As part of the week fire crews will be out and about delivering safety advice to boat owners.
Starting with Boat Safety Week fire crews will be out delivering safety advice to boat owners at locations throughout North Yorkshire and City of York for the rest of this year. If you would like to arrange a Boat Fire Safety Check with your local fire crew please complete the Home Fire Safety Visit request form on our website www.northyorksfire.gov.uk or call our fire safety advice line on 01609 788545.
Scarborough Blue Watch will be speaking to boat owners at Scarborough marina between 10:30am and 12:00noon on Saturday 1st June.
Watch Manager Nick Allenby said: “On the 1st June we will be offering advice and tips about how to prevent fires on boats and how to react should one break out. This will include offering to check smoke alarms are working and fitted in the right place. We will also be covering cooking, carbon monoxide, smoking, electrics, candle safety and fuel storage. We will be handing out leaflets and demonstrating the equipment on our fire engines that we would use to extinguish fires and carry out water rescues.”
Boroughbridge firefighters will be attending the Boroughbridge Marina between 10am and 12noon on Sunday the 26th May to give out safety advice.
For further information about general boat fire and CO safety, visit www.boatsafetyscheme.org/stay-safe
For more information on fire safety please visit: www.gov.uk/firekills
