London Fire Brigade Strike

Council urges vigilance over the weekend

Residents are being urged to be extra careful about fire safety in light of the planned industrial action by the London Fire Brigade which is due to take place on Friday 5 November from 10am – ending on Sunday 7 November at 9am

Although contingency arrangements will be in place the fire service will not be able to respond as quickly as it usually does during these days.

The key safety messages are:

* If you have a fire, call 999
* Make sure you know how you would get out of your home if there is a fire - get out, stay out, call 999
* Stub cigarettes out properly and dispose of them carefully
* Take extra care when cooking and double check the cooker is turned off
* Make sure that you have a smoke alarm, check that it works and change the battery regularly
* Turn heaters off and put up fireguards
* Turn off and unplug electrical appliances, unless they are designed to be left on - like your fridge

There is more fire safety advice explaining how to reduce the risk of fire in homes and businesses on the London Fire Brigade website.

Bonfire night and Diwali

As Bonfire night and Diwali will both take place over the weekend of industrial action it is even more important that people follow the Fire Bridage’s safety advice.

Law on fireworks:

* It is an offence to use fireworks between the hours of 11pm and 7am, except for permitted fireworks nights that have special curfews. Friday 5 November is bonfire night and Diwali and will have a curfew of 1am.
* Shops selling fireworks to children face a £5,000 fine.
* Anyone throwing a firework or setting one off in a public place can be fined up to £5,000 and be sentenced to up to six months in prison.

3rd November 2010