FIRE STRIKE: TAKE EXTRA CARE

You will be aware that the Fire Brigade’s Union (FBU) plans to start taking strike action that will disrupt our firefighting and fire safety service from 23 October 2010. The FBU initially intends to strike on the following days:

• Saturday, 23 October from 10am to 6pm

• Monday, 1 November from 10am to 6pm

After that, the FBU will give seven days' notice of any further strike action. In common with other UK fire and rescue services, we have a legal duty to provide a fire and rescue service at all times. We are no longer able to rely on support from the military with their green goddesses as we did in the past. CapitalGuard is the

name of the arrangement that we have in place to provide emergency fire crews when required by the Authority.

CapitalGuard is a contracted service provision of up to 27 fire engines (i.e.16% of our normal capacity), working across borough boundaries. When the CapitalGuard arrangement is mobilised fire engines will attend a limited range of incidents and the normal initial attendance to incidents will be one fire engine.

The London Fire Brigade will be actively promoting safety messages through the news media and other publicity activities during the strike period. During this time London Fire Brigade is asking people to take even more care to think about their safety from fire.

I would like to draw your attention to important fire safety advice that you can encourage your tenants to remember:

• If you have a fire, call 999.

• Take extra care – especially when you are cooking or smoking.

• Know what to do if you have a fire – get out, stay out, call 999.

There are some practical tips that you could pass on to your tenants to help them keep safe in their homes:

• Make sure that you have a smoke alarm, check that it works and change the battery if you need to.

• Make sure you know how you would get out of your home if there is a fire – and that everyone in your home knows.

• Stub cigarettes out properly and dispose of them carefully.

• Put candles out, use a snuffer or a spoon, it’s safer than blowing them out when sparks can fly.

• Double check the cooker is off.

• Turn heaters off and put up fireguards.

• Turn off and unplug electrical appliances, unless they are designed to be left on – like your fridge.

• Close inside doors at night to stop a fire from spreading.

• Make sure exits are kept clear.

• Keep door and window keys where everyone can find them.

Passing this advice on to your tenants will help keep them safer during any period of reduced fire cover – and is good advice at all times.

You may also have responsibilities under the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order. Fire risk assessments and emergency plans for your premises should be based on ensuring appropriate evacuation in case of fire without the need for Brigade assistance. You will wish to check that this is the case, make any necessary

adjustments and ensure that staff and residents are aware of the risk reduction measures for the premises and the actions they should take in case of fire.

If fire does break out, or even if fire is suspected, the safety advice is to get out,

stay out and call 999. It is important to stress that during the strike, this is still the number to ring.

You can find further advice on all aspects of fire safety on our own website, london-fire.gov.uk. If you would

like to promote fire safety further by displaying posters and leaflets, please contact Daniel Smalley on 0208

555 1200 x30773.

I hope this information proves helpful to you.

Yours faithfully,

Andy Hickmott

Assistant Commissioner

Direct T 0208 555 1200 x30712

E andy.hickmott@london-fire.gov.uk