23 June 2008

Firefighters help children Stay Safe

It's Child Safety Week (23rd to 27th June 2008) and firefighters will be visiting nurseries, playgroups and Sure Start centres across East Sussex and Hove to help children stay safe.

East Sussex Fire and Rescue Service will be giving safety tips and advice to the parents and carers of children under 5 with the aim of reducing injuries in the home.

Children under 5 carry a disproportionate burden of injuries from falls and fires and they suffer nearly 45% of all severe burns and scalds with 50% occurring in the kitchen. The emotional costs to children and their families are immense and East Sussex Fire and Rescue Service are dedicated to reducing all injuries to children by offering advice on child safety during their visits.

Firefighters have first hand experience of the damage that fires and burns can cause and are keen to get these safety messages out into the community. They will bring a fire engine to the visit where possible which is always popular with small children. Working in the community is an important part of their duties and staff across the organisation are working on a number of projects to help children and young people keep safe. This means working closely with other agencies to achieve a safer County for everyone.

If you would like more information on keeping your family safe from fire, then please contact East Sussex Fire and Rescue Service. They offer advice, a free home fire safety visit and free smoke alarms to give you the piece of mind that your family is as safe as possible from fire.

For free smoke alarms and home safety advice please contact:

The Community Safety Team on tel 0800 177 7069 or Freepost SEA 12712, 20 Upperton Road, Eastbourne, East Sussex, BN21 1BR