If a fire occurs in your home, your chances of survival depend on how quickly and safely you are able to get out. If you're elderly, ill, disabled or have a long-term illness, your chances of being able to escape a fire are significantly reduced.

By sharing information and referring vulnerable people to East Sussex Fire & Rescue Service we could avert a tragedy.

East Sussex Fire & Rescue Service is launching the 'Who Cares' campaign as a result of recent fire deaths in the County.

The campaign is designed to raise fire safety awareness amongst carers and care agencies within East Sussex and the City of Brighton & Hove and highlights the wide range of preventative work available from East Sussex Fire & Rescue Service.

Older people can sometimes need extra care and support. Each day within the United Kingdom, six million carers provide help to a relative or friend in need of assistance.

The purpose of the 'Who Cares' campaign is to encourage carers to consider how the people they care for are at special risk from fire, and to contact East Sussex Fire & Rescue Service for help and specialist advice.

Our preventative work is a FREE service; it includes

• Conducting home fire risk checks
• Giving advice on safety
• Fitting smoke alarms appropriate to the specific and individual needs of individual occupants, for example smoke alarms for the deaf.

The 'Who Cares' campaign also enables us to refer people (with their consent) to partner agencies where non-fire related welfare or safety concerns are raised. All of this assists people to be independent and safe.

East Sussex Fire & Rescue Services vision is to achieve safer and more sustainable communities To assist us in achieving this goal we are asking carers to help us identify vulnerable members of our communities in order that we can help them, before a tragedy occurs.

• East Sussex Fire Authority Sustainability Strategy for 2008/09[pdf]

The launch of the 'Who Cares' campaign takes place at Service Headquarters on Tuesday 3rd March 2009. Local dignitaries, partner agencies and a wide-range of Service personnel are expected to attend the event.

East Sussex Fire & Rescue Service are specifically looking for referrals from carers and care agencies about people who:

• Are immobile without assistance
• May become confused
• Have sensory impairment
• Have cognitive impairment
• May have electrical faults in their home
• Could have unsafe practices with fire, cooking or heating
• Are waiting to return home from hospital or another care setting and there are concerns about fire risk
• Have young children within the household
• Who smoke and have developed unsafe smoking practices
• Or if you have any concerns about their fire safety