| Celebrate Chinese New Year Safely |
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| What\'s On | |
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With the Chinese New Year almost upon us, the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister today launched a new fire safety campaign to ensure that the 250,000 members of the Chinese community in the UK, celebrating the forthcoming New Year do so safely - keeping their homes, family and community safe.
The campaign provides some basic fire safety messages at a time when people are more likely to be distracted. Chinese New Year and the subsequent Chinese Lantern Festival are periods when fireworks and candles are used extensively as part of the celebrations, as well as involving an increased amount of entertaining and cooking. The situation is often worsened by low smoke alarm ownership within the Chinese communities, and because people have not pre-planned how they would escape of the event of a fire. These factors increase the likelihood of serious injury and death. Fire Safety Minister Jim Fitzpatrick, himself a former firefighter said: “It is ironic and tragic that during periods of celebration there is a dramatic increase in the number of fires amongst many communities. It’s not only Chinese New Year, but we also see an increase during key festivals of Diwali, Eid and of course Christmas – it’s often that safety comes second to celebration. The campaign is designed to make communities more aware of their surroundings and ensure that they are actively thinking about fire safety in the home.” "The New Year festivities are very special to the Chinese communities, as it is a period of good luck and starting afresh. By taking just a few simple precautions you can greatly reduce the risks for yourself and your family. I would especially urge the celebrating community to ensure they have a working smoke alarm installed on every floor of their home." The campaign which will include press advertising, as well as greetings cards and posters carrying safety messages, will begin in mid-January and will be supported by grass roots activity across England and Wales by individual fire and rescue services. Today's announcement complements other fire safety work undertaken by fire and rescue authorities and supports the Government's mainstream ‘Prevention’ campaign, running concurrently. |
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