As part of its effort to engage with local residents, Humberside Fire and Rescue Service is delivering vital fire safety messages to groups of visually and hearing impaired residents across the service area.

Paul Drury and Sarah Wilkinson from Humberside Fire and Rescue Service are visiting resident groups across the Humberside area updating them on the service's plans for the future and encouraging people to get involved in helping shape the future of their Fire and Rescue Service. However, whilst they have been speaking to the groups they have used the opportunity to raise awareness of vital fire safety information.

Using the opportunity to raise awareness amongst residents has meant that Paul and Sarah have been able to reach a much wider audience than the service has been able to engage with in the past.

A recent visit to Hull College to meet with a group of residents with visual and hearing impairments highlighted the success of their work. Their initial visit with the group had included information about how they can make themselves safer in their homes. At last week's return visit, the residents were keen to tell them about the changes they had made such as introducing a night time routine, fitting smoke alarms on every level of their home and creating an escape plan.

Sarah Wilkinson, Community Fire Safety Advocate, said: "The feedback that we are getting from the different groups we have been talking to has been really positive. They are listening to our advice and very quickly making changes to help keep them safe in their homes. Things such as unplugging electrics at night and closing all internal doors as well as having working smoke alarms are all simple ways in which people are making themselves safer."

 

Posted: 09.59am, 23.05.11