Inverkeithing blanket testing raises fire safety concerns
24 October
The latest electric blanket testing session was held in Inverkeithing Civic Centre where members of the community were invited to come along and get their blankets tested – and the session revealed some potentially dangerous problems.
A total of 55 blankets were tested with 38% of the blankets failing mainly due to their age and lack of overheat protection that is usually found in blankets less than 10 years old.
Watch Manager of Community Safety at Fife Fire and Rescue Service Gavin McKerchar says "We are committed to making the residents of Fife as safe as they can be in their home, especially coming into the winter months, and running these electric blanket testing events allows us to minimise the risk of fire.”
Lynn Ronaldson from Fife Council’s Enterprise & Protective Services explains, “The aim of this event is to reduce the risk of fires in the home associated with old and worn electric blankets. This is a joint project with Fife Fire and Rescue Service and Fife Cares and funding from the Electrical Safety Council (ESC) and Scottish and Southern Energy allows us to effectively deliver this service.”
David Birrell, Fife cares, explains "These events are a worth while service to prevent home accidents and the potential risk of fire. They allow us to reach a wider audience. We can further support residents aged over 65 and those vulnerable in Fife by offering a free home safety check. We can be contacted on 01592 599599.”
“Our primary objective at the ESC is to help people stay safe around electricity and, sadly, fires caused by faulty electric blankets are not uncommon”, adds Lorraine Carney, Senior Campaigns Manager at the ESC who sponsor and provide the electric blankets.“We are particularly keen to assist vulnerable people, such as the elderly, who may be reliant on electric blankets to keep them warm in the winter - so we are delighted to support Fife Community Safety Partnership and their initiative in this area.”
Follow us on: