FIREFIGHTERS at Helensburgh Fire Station have been highlighting the importance of fire safety in the home as part of the Week Of Action campaign.

The initiative aims to prevent accidental house fires and Helensburgh firefighters have been visiting sheltered housing in the area offering free home fire safety visits to elderly and vulnerable members of society.

Alan Harper, watch manager at Helensburgh Fire Station said he was pleased with how Week of Action – which runs until Saturday – had gone so far.

He said: “It’s been mainly the sheltered housing complexes we have been targeting and we have still got two days left to go but I think it’s been reasonably successful.

“It’s very important to raise awareness particularly among the elderly and we have got an on going programme all the time where we carry out a home safety visit and then they go into our records and we follow it up.” Thirty people across Scotland have lost their lives as a result of fires this year alone with people over 60 accounting for two thirds of those killed.

Some causes of fire deaths included smoking, ill health, limited mobility, and people living alone.

Area manager James Hymas, the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service local senior officer for Argyll and Bute, said there had been no recent fatalities as a result of fires in the Helensburgh and Lomond Area, adding safety visits were vital towards maintaining this figure.

He said: “The risk always exists that one of the accidental dwelling fires we attend in the area ultimately results in a loss of life.

“Operational crews are doing all that they can to get the safety message out to those most at risk from fire and to that end they are currently visiting sheltered housing complexes within the Helensburgh area. “The Free Home Fire Safety Visit service that we provide is the best way to ensure that residents are protected from the risk posed by a fire within the home.” Mr Hymas said it was important for people who know somebody at risk to get in contact with Helensburgh Fire Station to arrange a home fire safety visit.

The visits take around 20 minutes to complete, are available to households across the area and are conducted at a time convenient for the householder.

Anybody wishing to arrange a visit should call 0800 073 1999, text FIRE to 80 800, call Helensburgh Community Fire Station on 01436 655 901 or visit www.firescotland.gov.uk.