North Wales Fire and Rescue Service is supporting National Carers Week (9^th
-15^th June).

Gary Brandrick, Senior Fire Safety Manager for North Wales Fire and Rescue Service, explains: "Ensuring that the most vulnerable members of our society are
protected from fire in their homes is a top priority for North Wales Fire and
Rescue Service.

"Working with organisations and individuals who provide care is a great way
of reaching as many of these people as possible through their existing
links.  The carers have an excellent relationship with those they are
caring for and are able to deliver fire safety advice in a way that suits the
individual, using their knowledge and expertise to ensure that it will be
effective.

"The simplest thing any carer can do to prevent fire is to make a few easy additions to their normal routine. Testing the smoke alarm weekly for the person they care for could help give them the vital extra seconds they need to escape in a fire, while simple steps such as closing doors at night and avoiding overloaded
plug sockets will help reduce the risk of fire in their home.

"Along with our free home fire safety checks, a variety of specialist safety equipment is also available, including vibrating smoke alarms for the hard of hearing and linked alarm systems."

If you are a carer, then North Wales Fire and Rescue Service has the following
fire safety advice:

•  Make sure that the person you care for knows what to do in the event of a fire.

•  It's a good idea to practise an escape so that you and the person you care for feels confident enough to do it day or night.

1. A working smoke alarm can give people the extra time they need to escape a house fire. Make testing the batteries of their alarms part of your weekly
   routine.

•  Most house fires happen at night, so make sure the smoke alarm is in a position that will wake the person you care for up; e.g. in the bedroom.

• If you can, close inside doors at night. This will help prevent a fire from
  spreading.

•  If the person you care for uses oxygen, make sure the equipment is stored safely out of direct sunlight, well ventilated, always dry and away from heat sources. Ensure they never have open flames, smoke or use electrical appliances such as hairdryers, whilst using oxygen.

• If you or the person you care for has a hearing difficulty you can get specialist
smoke alarms which use a strobe light and vibrating pads.

For further information, please contact our community safety offices as follows:

Conwy and Denbighshire area office - 01492 564 980

Wrexham and Flintshire area office - 01978 367870

Gwynedd and Môn area office - 01286 662 999

Free home fire safety checks are available for all residents in North Wales. To register, phone our 24 hour hotline on 0800 169 1234 or visit
www.freesmokealarm.co.uk .