This article is from page 32 of the 2007-10-30 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 32 JPG
KILRUSH Town Council and Clare County Council have launched a Fire Safety Initiative aimed at mak- ing householders more aware of fire safety routines and potential fire hazards.
The ‘Fire Safety In The Home’ initiative is being rolled out on a pilot basis and will initially involve 45 households in a number of areas throughout the town from November a.
Mayor of Kilrush, Councillor Tom- my Clyne said, “The initiative is part of ongoing efforts by Clare Local Authorities to improve the overall fire safety in the home. Sadly, the number of incidences of fire in Clare
remains unacceptably high, which 1s why I would encourage householders to use their own initiative to learn and do more about fire prevention in the home.”
The launch of the new scheme co- incides with the release of new fig- ures indicating a slight drop in the number of incidences attended by the County Fire and Rescue Service in Kilrush in 2006.
Approximately 126 emergency calls were made from Kilrush to the Fire and Rescue Service last year, representing a 5.5 per cent decrease on figures for 2005.
A total of 126 emergency calls were made to Kilrush Fire Station in paul eTes
There were 80 calls to Kilkee in
2006 up 43 per cent on the previous year.
According to Adrian Kelly, Chief Fire Officer, County Fire and Rescue Service, “Fire statistics from recent years reveal a continued high rate of chimney and domestic fires. The key to reducing such incidences 1s to 1n- creased fire safety awareness among householders.
“IT welcome the launch of this new initiative, as it will assist the public in preventing incidences of fire in deCoy bum ele) 08 (ona
The new programme follows on from a similar initiative in Ennis, which focused on approximately 70 houses in the McHugh Villas and Turnpike areas of the town. Where necessary, smoke detectors were
also provided by the County Fire and Rescue Service.
“The objective of this initiative is to reduce the incidence of chimney fires in Kilrush during the winter pe- riod, which is a peak time of year for chimney fires,” said Fiona Mooney, Kilrush Town Clerk.
“This initiative will result in greater awareness of fire hazards in the home with a reduction in the risk of injury/loss of life and should minimise property damage from fire related incidents. This initiative will have a positive impact on use of re- sources of the Fire and Rescue Serv- ice in Kilrush Town and should lead to further enhancement of quality of life for local residents,’ Ms Mooney AYOe(exen