Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) has announced a national awareness campaign aimed at encouraging local residents to ‘look out for their older neighbours’, stv.tv reports.
The scheme has been launched in the wake of three blazes that occurred within days of each other. Three elderly women sadly lost their lives in the fires. As such, SFRS is emphasising the message that communities must help the vulnerable.
The campaign includes a television advert in which a firefighter gives an account of a tragedy that cost the life of an elderly lady who lived alone. It emphasises that a home fire safety visit could have prevented the fatal event.
As part of the prevention campaign, the SFRS firefighters will be offering a home visit service aimed at ensuring older people have fitted working fire alarms and establishing whether any other intervention is required from health or housing bodies to ensure a person’s safety.
While promoted in Scotland, the campaign might prompt others south of the border to consider obtaining a fire risk assessment for their own, their parents’ or elderly neighbours’ homes, to be on the safe side.
“We all need to do as much as we can to prevent tragedies like this occurring, “said SFRS director of prevention, Lewis Ramsay to dailyrecord.co.uk at the launch.
“We all know older people who are at risk. It could be a grandmother, aunt, friend or neighbour. Today I am asking Scotland to think about these people. If you or someone you know if at risk from fire, call us now.”