Whats on in Woodford Halse

Don’t drown in Toxic Smoke

make sure you test your smoke alarm weekly

October saw the launch of the new national campaign ‘Don’t drown in Toxic Smoke.’ The campaign is aimed to raise awareness of the risk of not waking and drowning in smoke due to not having a working smoke alarm. 

The campaign is being run to raise awareness of just how two or three breaths of toxic smoke is similar to the sensation of drowning and can affect a person’s ability to breath and consequently wake up in the event of a fire. Research carried out has shown that people underestimate the impact of toxic smoke.  In a survey almost half those asked believed they could survive for more than 2 minutes in a smoke-filled room and over half thought they would wake up due to the smell of the smoke. In some cases you may have less than two minutes to get out of a household fire alive. By having a working smoke alarm you have an increased chance of waking, and escaping.

Emma Yoxen, District Liaison Officer for the Fire & Rescue Service, added “Our fire-fighters regularly see the effects of fires in the home.  The frustrating thing is that so much heartbreak and unhappiness could be avoided if people took the simple precaution of arranging for a free home fire safety check and ensuring they have working smoke alarms and check them weekly.  There is really no excuse for not having one, we’re here to help”.

Northamptonshire Fire and Rescue Service offers home fire safety checks free of charge to the public.  You can arrange for a fire-fighter to visit your home to give advice and guidance on how to prevent fires and other hazards.  Also to install free smokes alarms if you need them.  All you have to do is contact us and we’ll do the rest. Call 0800 38 999 50 today or email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .