The Fire Kills campaign will be promoting relevant messages throughout Chimney Fire Safety Week from 4 to 10 September. Given the cost-of-living rise, people may explore using alternative methods to heat their homes, which might impact on use of chimneys. Ensuring these are safe and ready for use is important, so the primary message of the Week will be to encourage people to have their chimneys swept in preparation for use over winter.
Awareness and Action
Ultimately the campaign strives to raise awareness of chimney fires and encourage consumers to act. The campaign focuses on the importance of chimney sweeping and appliance maintenance, the use of quality fuels and tips to get the most efficiency from a stove.
Having a chimney swept not only reduces the fire risk, but also enables more efficient combustion saving you money by reducing the amount of fuel used and reduces emissions helping the environment and the air we breathe. The sweep will offer bespoke advice the householder on the use of their appliance, the correct use of fuels to gain maximum heat and warmth from their appliance.
Partnership working with the Federation of British Chimney Sweeps
The Federation of British Chimney (FBCS) and its association members is committed to providing a unified voice and single point of contact for the chimney sweep trade. Its member association cover more than 80% of registered chimney sweeps within England, Scotland and Wales and works in partnership with the major stakeholders within industry to raise standards through formal qualification (NVQ) and promote the essential services of the chimney sweep. The “Speak to a Sweep!” campaign has been specifically developed to deliver public information campaigns such as Chimney Fire Safety Week through partnership working with other industry stakeholders such as ClearSkies, Stove Industry Alliance, British Flue and Chimney Manufacturers and the Sweep Associations. The FBCS association members are sweeping, servicing, and maintaining flues and appliances in 10,000 homes each working day helping to keep the householder safe and warm.
Social media posts
- It’s #ChimneyFireSafetyWeek! Get your chimney swept before the colder weather sweeps in so you’re ready for those cosy nights by the fire.
#speaktoasweep!
- The use of unseasoned wood and the misuse of your appliance can contribute to creosote buildup and cause chimney fires- #Speak to a Sweep!
- What are you burning on your stove? Check your wood fuel quality and only burn dry #firewood #ChimneyFireSafetyWeek #Speak to a Sweep!
- Where do you store your wood fuel? Avoid stacking logs next to your appliance #speaktoasweep!
- When did you last have your heating appliance serviced? Give your stove the TLC it deserves this #speaktoasweep!
For more information and how can help with fire prevention, please visit:
www.speaktoasweep.co.uk/safety
Images courtesy of iStock