Big Shropshire fire safety advice scheme to aid most at risk

Hundreds of elderly and vulnerable people throughout Shropshire will be given free fire safety checks in a effort to cut the risk of house fires.

The scheme will be carried out in Bridgnorth and Market Drayton before being rolled out across the county later in the year, backed by a big publicity drive.

The move comes in the wake of two blazes in the county, which claimed the lives of two women pensioners.

In Market Drayton, in January, a woman in her 60s died, and last year a fire near Bridgnorth claimed the life of a woman aged 90.

The number of deaths in county house fires has reached a 13-year high, and the planned safety drive follows a joint campaign between the Shropshire Star and the county fire and rescue service to give away smoke alarms.

Professor Rod Thomson, the county's director of public health, said a pilot project had already been carried out in Ludlow.

Two of the town's GP practices had written to people considered at risk of fire – including those who are elderly, living alone, or with health problems – asking them to have a fire officer visit their home to offer free advice, smoke alarms and safety checks.

Although about 200 people took part, Professor Thomson said the results 'were not as high as we would have liked'.

He said he thought the reason for this was that people had to write to or call their GPs to say they wanted to take part.

In future fire officers will write to all vulnerable households identified by GPs, and only those who opt out will not be given the safety checks.

The plans, organised by the fire service, the county council and health service, were outlined to a meeting of Shropshire Council's shadow health and wellbeing board at Shirehall yesterday. Professor Thomson said the plans would be outlined in greater depth at the committee's next meeting.

By Andrew Owen