Fire Safety Campaign specifically targeted at older people

Description

A report was issued by the Health Research Board in 2019. The report assessed fire deaths over 3 years and it highlighted that the age group at a much higher risk from fire are those in the over 65 years old age group.
The report highlighted the following issues –
* there were 106 fatalities over the three years
* 52% of the deaths were over 65 years of age.
(The over 65 age group only make up 13% of of the population)
* 65% male
* 92% – Private dwellings
* 55% – Rural locations (31% of pop)
* 69% were alone at the time
* 25% smoking related
* Farmers were over-represented in the data
* Alcohol featured in 51% of fatalities

This initiative involved running a Fire Safety Campaign specifically targeted at this age group. We had made previous attempts but had very limited success

This campaign involved the following
1. Advertising and promotion campaign
2. Linking in with other groups to promote the campaign.
3. Getting Firefighters involved to carry out Home Fire Safety Checks and to
install smoke detectors in older people’s houses.
4. Giving talks to gather names so that firefighters can carry out the Home
Fire Safety checks.

Our advertising campaign involved a short video clip. The clip showed a burnt out house and the owner is there saying that he was very lucky that he had been woken by his dog. The Station Officer who attended that fire then explains how important it is to have a smoke detector. He explains that Fire- fighters will carry out a Home Fire Safety Check and fit smoke detectors for older people. It also appeals to family members and neighbours. It is a very effective promotional video.

We have linked in with the Older People’s council to promote the campaign. We have also visited day-care centres and provided advertising in parish newsletters.

We provided training to all of our firefighters so that they could carry out a Home Fire Safety Check. We showed them where to install the 10-year battery smoke detectors.

As the campaign got started (January 2023) word of mouth has helped enormously to promote the campaign. Fire-fighters support and promote the campaign.

To date we have carried out circa 180 Home Fire Safety checks and we have given out over 100 smoke detectors (difficult to get accurate figures as there is currently a strike on-going).

This far exceeds any previous fire safety campaign that we have ever run.

Aim of Initiative

To reduce fire deaths and injuries within the over 65’s age group.

To provide simple fire safety advice to the older age group so that fire damage can be eliminated or reduced.

Who is it aimed at

Older people (over 65’s) often live in older houses, with older appliances and electrics. They are hugely over-represented when it comes to fire deaths.
Males are at a higher risk within this group. Older males, living alone, are very difficult to target in relation to fire safety campaigns. They are usually very self-sufficient and do not look for assistance.

This campaign targeted older people but we also appealed to family members, relatives and neighbours.

3 Steps critical to success

1. Develop an effective advertising campaign to start the initiative. We used a retired county councilor who had his home destroyed by a fire. He was woken by his dog in the middle of the night and he was lucky to escape. The promotional video shows the devastation caused by the fire. The video was promoted through the county council social media and we also use the video clip when we give fire safety talks.
2. Develop a simple fire safety initiative. We trained out fire-fighters to carry out a basic fire safety assessment of a house. They then discuss basic fire safety principles with the owner of the house. They also fit 2 No. 10-year smoke detectors on the property (if required).
3. Getting the Firefighters involved and all of the other groups has helped to kick-start the initiative. The Older People’s council, so that

3 Challenges in Planning / Delivery

1. The provision of smoke detectors is provided through the National Directorate for Fire and emergency Planning. Due to Covid it had been difficult to promote fire safety campaign between 2020 and 2022. We had built up a significant number of smoke detectors.
   Covid had also created an environment where older people did not want visitors in their homes.
   We had to wait until the time was right to launch the campaign.
2. Training over 70 firefighters and providing them with the correct equipment.
3. To date we have given over twenty fire safety talks at various day-care centres, home-carers training days and retirement groups to gather names and addresses so that the fire-fighters can carry visit the premises.

3 Outcomes / Benefits

1. Over 400 smoke detectors have been issued to a high risk age group.
2. Fire Safety advice has been provided to circa 180 home owners who are in the high risk age group.
3. the campaign specifically targets the risk group to reduce the risks.
   The fire-fighters can see the benefit of doing this work. Prevention is much better than the cure. This campaign has exceeded our expectations and has exceeded any previous campaign that we have run.