Christopher Boulton: Okay, Sarah. What this is, this is the probably most dangerous area of your house, the kitchen area. And in the kitchen, obviously you have got your cooker. We have a larger number of fires involved in the kitchen and basically, in the cooker area. What I'll say is obviously there's a nice large cooker here, but you have to be there very often, to reach the fire side. Make sure, you got no cutlery hanging down there and because usually you know, this is gas cooker and therefore, you could catch the light from there.
The only thing is some tea towels there. Make sure you don't put the tea towels in there, because they would be over the flame, I mean that's on fire. The other thing is cheap pan. If you have got a cheap pan, make sure, you only fill to about a third or fourth, make sure you put it away on the back of the cooker, mainly because of George, and make sure, you keep an eye on it all the time, when you are cooking, okay.
Also make sure you don't put things like this too close to the cooker, that can easily ignite and then, obviously the rest of the area can completely involved in fire.
Sarah Martin: This is the main fire in the house, we have done a lot especially in the winter. But so, what would you suggest with the children in particularly?
Christopher Boulton: Well, obviously one of the most important things with children is to make sure, that they don't go close to it, so make sure you get a guard, a fire guard. It's quite popular in house to have open fires in houses, particularly these gas pipelines.
Also, if I put a guard there, what use I'll do is you protect it, in case, to the ones -- accidentally when you leave the room some furnishings, toys, that can easily gets around the fire, they can start a small fire. Now, the thing is, I suggest that, you put a -- if you'll be enclosed just try your clothes, particularly this time it would be damp.
Make sure that the clothes are far enough away from the fire, so that the heat from the fire radially doesn't catch onto the clothes.
Sarah Martin: Well, we have talked about the cooker and the fire, and how to deal with those. What would happen if the worst thing happened and a fire broke in?
Christopher Boulton: Well, the most important things to be prepared for that to happen. So, what we suggest is you formulate your own escape plan, really advance before any further. That will allow you and your family to know what you are going to do if a fire happens.
If the worst becomes the worst and you all, are trapped in an open room, what we suggest you is go into the room to put something under -- around the door area, because that's where the smoke is likely to come in. Go to the front of house, if possible open the window and shout, so that when the fire crews arrive they will know that where you are.
Roger Vincent: Fires result in more deaths in the home among children, than anything else and there are terrible tragedies, it's a hard rending stories when these things happened. The first thing you need to be sure of, is that you have a fire guard, and that fire guard is fitted and secured correctly.
Sally Anne Taylor: In the lounge, I have got a fire guard, I make sure, that, that's up all the time, not only from the -- the fire hazard as the child burning himself. But because it's a slider, this sharp corner. So they have to be protected as well. So the fire guard is up all the time, it's never dismantled and taken down, it's there for the safety of my children's so they don't get burned to hurt themselves in anyway.
I work with children, and I have seen children that have been hurt and by touching fire and hurting themselves on fire places. So they are really a necessity to have, to keep your children safe.
Roger Vincent: It is important, particularly if you are a smoker to keep matches and lighters out of the reach of children and look out at for anybody who comes to stay with you, who might smoke, who may not be aware of those dangers for children. If you have candles around your home, never leave them unattended, make sure, they are away from anything that can catch fire or light curtains. And a child should never be left in a room with a lighted candle, and always put them out before you go to bed.
But if a fire breaks out, having to smoke alarm will be a big help. People with smoke alarms fitted, have a much greater chance of surviving the fire. But one of the biggest difficulties, we face is if parents are removing the batteries from smoke alarms. It may be, because Charles toy has run out of the battery and they take it out to use for that reason or it may be just annoying when the toast burns and the smoke starts the alarm. But we do have to advise people not to remove the battery under any circumstances because people forget to put them back in and we keep hearing of fires where a smoke alarm is fitted, but it's not working correctly.
You don't want to frighten children about the dangers around the home. You want to explain to them what those dangers are and what can go wrong. If for instance they pick up a match and strike it. And setting a good example, yourself will be one of the best lessons, that you can give your children.
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