Landlords in Devon, Cornwall and Somerset have been offered free advice and support on how best to combat the dangers of fire to their properties.
As every major property and landlord insurance provider will testify, fire in the home is one of the major causes of claims on home insurance policies, and unfortunately doctors and emergency service workers will back up their assertions.
Landlords in Plymouth and the remainder of the West Country were treated to a free demonstration on how the rules and regulations surrounding health and safety laws and in particular safety equipment had changed. The show was put on by the West Country Landlords Association in conjunction with Plymouth City Council and was presented at Plymouth City Guildhall.
Somerset Fire and Rescue service were on hand to answer questions on fire safety from both landlord and tenant and had a fire engine and demonstration units set up in the guildhall square. The seriousness of fire safety is highlighted by the fact that eight people in the West Country have lost their lives in the last three years from fires in the home and in the same period fire-fighters have answered calls to almost 700 domestic fires in the Plymouth area alone.
A spokesman for the fire service said the biggest cause of accidental fires were kitchen related incidents. The majority of those were down to human error such as using too much oil when cooking, cooking whilst under the influence of alcohol or drugs or losing concentration due to other distractions.