Fire Brigade

There were 12 emergency callouts since the last report.  One was an oven fire causing serious burns to the hands of the home occupant who had tried to control the fire with water, a dangerous approach to a fat or oil fire.  Homeowners should consider having a dry powder extinguisher close to hand in the kitchen which is the best and safest suppression in these fires.
 
Another callout was to a fire caused by an iron left unattended which resulted in fire and smoke damage to walls and contents in one room. 

These two incidents are a reminder that the most common causes of home fires are unattended cooking and overheating appliances.  Other common causes of fires in colder weather are over loaded multi boards, drying clothes too close to a heater, hot ashes not properly disposed of, and blocked chimneys. 
These fires are avoidable but in the last 11 months have resulted in the loss of 21 lives in New Zealand, sharply up on the average. They are a reminder to check placement of heaters, limit the number of appliances plugged into one multi board, have that chimney checked and “keep looking while cooking”.  For more, go to the NZ Fire Service website http://www.fire.org.nz/Fire-Safety/.
 
The other emergency calls included 3 weather related calls during the last storm, 2 motor vehicle accidents, 2 vegetation fires, 1 medical assist, a false alarm, and the classic “cat up a tree” giving the crew some practice with the ladder.

Just in case a fire occurs at home, discuss fire escape plans with the family and keep these actions in mind:
What to do in a fire 

Crawl low and fast to escape smoke. ‘Get Down, Get Low, Get out.’
Shut doors behind you to slow the spread of fire
Meet at the planned meeting place.
Once out, stay out – never go back inside.
Phone the Fire Service from a safe phone.