Boat Fire Safety Week

Cheshire Fire and Rescue Service has a blunt message for boat owners in the lead up to Boat Fire Safety Week (May 25th – 31st), "Don't drown in toxic smoke – Fit a smoke alarm and test it regularly".

As part of the national Fire Kills campaign, Cheshire Fire and Rescue Service are asking local boat owners to make vital safety checks and learn more about fire to stay safe this summer. They also want people to fit smoke alarms if they haven't done so on their boat.

Since 2006 Cheshire has attended 17 fires involving boats, 50% of these were on a barge. In the past 20 years 30 boaters have been killed in boat fires in the UK. One of these fires occurred in Cheshire in 2007 and saw a woman sadly die as a result of a fire on a boat. No smoke alarms were fitted on the vessel, which may have saved her life, if they had been installed.

Cheshire firefighters are supporting Boat Safety Week for the start of the boating season, and are asking owners to understand the risks, make regular, basic checks, fit a smoke alarm and know their escape route, as the essential steps to dealing with the fire threat.

During Boat Fire Safety Week, firefighters across Cheshire will be talking to thousands of boat owners in the area by handing out leaflets to alert people to the risks of fire and helping them protect themselves and their passengers.

Keith Brooks, Head of Prevention and Protection at Cheshire Fire and Rescue Service said: "The week long campaign was created in response to tragedies such as the Cheshire incident and highlights the need for fire safety on boats. It also helps to focus on the importance of smoke alarms being fitted on all vessels where people sleep.

"Smoke is a silent killer and smoke alarms detect the first signs of a fire, giving people valuable time to get out of a boat safely. I would strongly urge anyone that sleeps on a boat to get a smoke alarm. It may just save your life."

For more information about boat and fire safety visit www.cheshirefire.gov.uk

This article is from our news archive. As a result pictures or videos originally associated with it may have been removed and some of the content may no longer be accurate or relevant.