Written 3 weeks ago by Newsroom

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An open night has been held at Portlaoise Fire Station.

The event, which has been running for a number of years, offers locals the chance to meet with firefighters and view demonstrations on how to stay safe.

It forms part of Fire Safety Week.

The key messages of this year’s campaign are:

• An increasing percentage of house fires are caused by cooking practices.
• The incidence of serious house fires has been much higher for older people living alone.
• There are still homes with no smoke alarms.
• Most people who die in fires, die from smoke inhalation and not from burns and it can take as little as 3 minutes to die from smoke inhalation.
• The importance of disposing safely of smoking materials after use, especially at bedtime.
• Vulnerable members of our community should not be overlooked.
• A routine fire safety check only takes a few minutes but could mean the difference between life and death.
• Have a fire escape plan, teach it to your family and practise it regularly.

James Brown, station manager at Portlaoise Fire Station, is advising homeowners to unplug appliances before leaving their property.