Each year, the Government's Fire Kills campaign is used to promote electrical fire safety in the home. In 2014, Electrical Fire Safety Week runs from 10th to 16th November.
For 2014, the focus is on the dangers of portable heaters, responsible for 4% of accidental house fires. The number of deaths and serious injuries is higher than with any other cause. Elderly people and children are particularly vulnerable.
This problem is one that we believe will increase as householders, worried about the rising cost of energy bills, look for alternative, cost-effective ways of staying warm during the winter months.
Research showed that over three quarters of people are worried about being able to afford to heat their homes, and over half will be using portable heaters to keep warm.
We highlighted the most common mistakes and found an alarming number of people did not realise that they were putting themselves at risk:
38% would leave a heater switched on and unattended
33% would use one to keep elderly relatives warm
21% would leave one switched on overnight
NEVER LEAVE A PORTABLE HEATER SWITCHED ON AND UNATTENDED
DISCOURAGE THE USE OF PORTABLE HEATERS FOR ELDERLY RELATIVES
NEVER LEAVE A PORTABLE HEATER SWITCHED ON OVERNIGHT