A firefighter’s role is much more diverse than just putting out fires and rescuing cats from trees – for many years they’ve been attending a vast range of incidents including traffic accidents, terrorist attacks and building collapses.
In fact just last year alone, UK firefighters rescued almost 40,000 people – and just 10 percent were fire-related incidents.
During recent times, we’ve seen an increase in innovative technologies being put in place for fire prevention and far more homes and businesses being fitted with fire alarms. We also now have fire safety regulations in place for furniture, fittings and upholstery and we're conducting many more fire risk assessments.
Thankfully, this has led to the reduction in fire-related deaths. Unfortunately it does mean that firefighters are dealing with more none-fire-related deaths, such as accidental drowning:
Statistics from 2015:
- 258 fire fatalities
- 321 accidental drowning
Some facts to consider around accidental drowning when you’re close to water:
- A quarter of all adult drowning victims had alcohol in their bloodstream
- Forty-four percent of people who drown had no intention of entering the water
- Twice as many people drown fishing than they do sailing
- Runners and walkers are the highest risk group of people involved in accidental drowning in the UK
With this in mind, it reminds us of the time of year we’re currently in, regards to increased rain fall and festivities. There’s almost five million people in England who are at the risk of flooding, and there’s various ways that you can be flood aware, and know what to do in the event of a flood. A great starting point is signing up to free flood warnings, by visiting the Government’s website where you can access useful information as to whether you’re at risk of a flood in your area, how to prepare for a flood and how to cope with the aftermaths for a flood. You can also visit the National Water Safety website for more information.
.ashx?h=225&iar=0&mh=411&mw=730&w=400)
.ashx?h=122&iar=0&mh=122&mw=730&w=730)
.ashx?h=118&iar=0&mh=122&mw=730&w=730)
.ashx?h=122&iar=0&mh=122&mw=730&w=730)
.ashx?h=340&iar=0&mh=411&mw=730&w=600)
