Fire Safety

Fires in Scotland cause the death of approximately 100 people every year, the destruction of many homes and damage to thousands more. And yet in the majority of cases, taking action now can prevent these fires.

An officer from Strathclyde Fire and Rescue Service is seconded to work alongside colleagues in Glasgow City Council's Community Services and Strathclyde Police, to promote safer communities. Each local authority has to produce a community safety strategy and to plan for safe communities, of which fire safety is an integral part. and where the community firefighter plays a key role.

Strathclyde Fire and Rescue, working with its partners in Community Services, is actively involved in a number of Community Fire Safety campaigns in Glasgow:

• an intensive programme of school and adult education
• public events
• chip pan/sprinkler unit demos
• ITS Glasgow (Integration through Safety, for refugees and asylum seekers)
• Firework Safety
• Community Television
• Hydrant vandalism

all designed to highlight the key causes of fire:

• smoking materials 
• cooking
• electrical appliances 
• the contributory effect of alcohol

Community Fire Station

In April 2004, Glasgow’s first Community Fire Station in Pollok Fire Station; incorporating the fire safety experiential learning Centre - McGill House; was opened for further development of safety education programmes.

The community fire safety department's core advice remains the same:

• fit and maintain a smoke alarm
• make a family action plan

The Service also has a freephone helpline: 0800 0731 999 (line open 24/7) where people living in the Strathclyde area can obtain free Home Fire Safety Advice.