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   ;)  SMOKING STILL A HIGH SOURCE OF FIRE
Whilst many people may be thinking about the health risks of smoking during National No Smoking Day on 11th March, Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service urges you to think about the fire risk linked to smoking. Households that have a smoker are nearly 35% more likely to have a fire than non smoking homes. In the UK between 2000 and 2005 on average there were 132 deaths per year in accidental home fires caused by smoking materials. A third of these fires occur between 10pm and 3am so we are urging people to quit or take care if smoking at home, particularly in the evening. Last year in Greater Manchester we attended 300 incidents in homes as a result of careless use of smoking materials. For those not ready to kick the habit this No Smoking Day, it is important to follow these simple precautions to prevent a fire at home: • Keep matches and lighters away from children. • Put it out, right out! Make sure your cigarette is fully extinguished. • Take extra care when you’re tired, taking any sort of drugs or have been drinking alcohol. It’s very easy to fall asleep while your cigarette is still burning. • Never smoke in bed - if you need to lie down, don’t light up. You could doze off and set your bed on fire. • Never leave lit cigarettes, cigars or pipes unattended - they can easily overbalance as they burn down, land on a carpet or newspaper and start a fire. • Use a proper, heavy ashtray that can’t tip over easily and is made of a material that won’t burn. • Tap your ash into an ashtray, never a bin containing other rubbish – and don’t let the ash or cigarette ends build up in the ashtray. • Fit and maintain a smoke alarm - A working smoke alarm can buy you valuable time to get out, stay out and dial 999. You can get a smoke alarm for roughly the same price as a packet of cigarettes Cigarettes burn at 700 degrees Water boils at 100 degrees.
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