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Lancashire Fire and Rescue Service
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In the near future you are going to meet some people
who fight fires for a living.
They all work for the Lancashire Fire and Rescue Service. They are going to act as Trainers – they want to help
you to understand their work. What’s their job really like – is it just like the T.V. series London’s Burning?
What is their typical working day like – do they have a “typical” day? Are there really boring bits? Are there
really exciting bits? Are there really scary bits? Write down some questions you would like to ask them?
The trainers will do their best to answer your questions. After they have made their visit discuss the things that
most surprised you about their work.
What do you think are the boring bits?
What do you think are the exciting bits?
What do you think are the scary bits?
The trainers will show you a video called “Front Room Fire”. After you have watched it discuss the most
important things it taught you.
Write the five most important lessons down:
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Fires destroy things!
Fires destroy
LIVES!
The trainers are going to share their experiences with you – their experiences of the cost of fire – the real cost –
the loss of valuables, the loss of jobs, the loss of security, the loss of lives!
Before they next visit sit down and discuss these issues with people in your group.
Imagine your house is engulfed by fire, all your belongings are destroyed –
write down the three things you would miss most.
Meet Jake – he’s big but he’s not clever.
Jake’s first fire was just a little one –
couldn’t hurt anyone could it?
For
Pete’s sake
Jake!
Jake’s next fire was just a bit bigger –
couldn’t hurt anyone could it?
For
Pete’s sake
Jake!
..but it
DID!
’
‘sob
Imagine you could grant Jake one wish
after one of his fires.
For
Pete’s sake
Jake!
What do you think it might be?
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What is a HAZARD?
A HAZARD is anything with the potential to cause harm!!
What are the potential HAZARDS below?
1.
1.
How is the HAZARD minimised in this picture?
2.
2.
What could be done to lessen the HAZARD in this room?
3.
What is the countryside rule about gates?
4.
4.
Draw a symbol in this triangle that means
danger of electricity.
3
3.
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What is a RISK?
A RISK is the likelihood of harm occurring from a HAZARD.
What are the potential RISKS below and opposite?
1.
For
Pete’s sake
Jake!
1.
Name four ways of crossing a road safely.
a.
b.
c.
For
Pete’s sake
Jake!
2.
d.
2.
Fill in the one word missing in these phrases if you
For
Pete’s sake
Jake!
discover a fire.
Get
Stay
Call the Fire Service
3.
3.
You must always take your litter home with you.
Apart fom being messy, how can litter endanger wildlife?
4.
What must you NEVER do if you think somebody has
4.
For
Pete’s sake
Jake!
had an electric shock?
What should you do instead?
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Have you ever seen a film or T.V. show about a fire?
Well, however scary the film was a real fire can be much, much scarier!
A fire means – confusion, destruction, uncontrollable power, panic,
terrible injuries – death!
Most fires start in people’s homes. Fires in homes are so destructive because:
Many of the things in our homes are highly inflammable. (This means that they can
catch fire easily.) Many of them release toxic fumes when they are alight. (Toxic means poisonous.)
Many homes still don’t have smoke alarms. Smoke alarms can buy escape-time in case of a fire!
Internal fires often start silently – silently, but deadly!
Internal fires spread very quickly inside, because there is nowhere for the heat and smoke
to escape to.
The speed at which fire spreads is terrifying!
Within seconds of a fire starting, say on a sofa, toxic fumes and smoke are released. In
under two minutes the fire can spread across the room because the flames and smoke
cannot escape upwards – they spread outwards and engulf the room. Within three
minutes the fire will be out of control. It gets so hot that if a door is opened the oxygen in
the air will make a back draught – the fire will then explode beyond the room and engulf
anything in its way!
The behaviour of people in the
event of a house fire is
crucial. Although smoke
alarms help by buying extra
time to make people aware of the
hazard, they are no good if people do not know what
to do next. When people are confused and frightened they can do things that can cost them their lives –
crazy things like trying to hide from the fire under beds or in cupboards!
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Every family should have a FIRE PLAN in case the worst happens.
The key ingredients for a Great Fire Plan are:
Don’t take any chances!
Stop and think! Then act calmly and quickly.
!
!
Wake everybody up.
!
!
!
!
Don’t collect any belongings or pets.
Everyone should go quickly to the nearest exit and
only open doors needed for their escape.
Never investigate – get out and stay out!
Only then call 999!
Leave the fire to the professionals!
If you can’t get downstairs – here is Plan 2:
!
!
!
!
Try and choose a room with a phone and call 999.
Open the window and shout for help.
Block any gaps around the door to keep smoke out.
Wait for the fire service to arrive.
If Plan 2 is not possible – here is Plan 3:
!
!
If there is smoke crawl under it.
!
Don’t jump! Lower yourself from the window ledge,
then let yourself drop.
Get to a room where you can use a window to
escape from.
Some Important Tips!
Invest in smoke alarms and test them regularly!
Have a Fire Plan and make sure everybody understands it! Do it now!!!
Never waste valuable time collecting things – every second counts!
If you need to break a window with double glazing for your escape route, use a heavy object with a sharp
edge like a chair – aim the leg at the corner of the glass. Remove any sharp edges before using it as an exit.
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ng
ni
War
W
ar
Si ning
gn
W
Wa
rn
ing
g
nin
ar n
W ig
S
Jake’s house.
arn
ing
Will they all live happily ever after?!
Circle all the risks and hazards before it’s time to call the Fire Service or the ambulance!
Use a coloured pen so the circles stand out.
Elvis Jake’s baby
brother
Brenda roast chicken
thief
1. With a friend, pick a circled item, discuss the danger and ways to reduce the risk.
2. Write a short story that includes at least five of the hazards.
3. If you spot any of these hazards in your kitchen, what should you do?
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Draw your plan in
the spaces below.
Remember to do all
floors showing the
safest exits, smoke
alarms and the
meeting point
outside the house.
Downstairs
Example
Upstairs
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Think about it.
Jake isn’t the sharpest tool in the box! He sets fires - often with devastating results.
But what made him do it?
To have a ‘bit of a laugh’?....
....what a scream that is.
1.
To see what happens?....
....it’s not rocket science.
2.
So, Jake’s not very bright, but he’s realising now that people being hurt,
being scarred for life, people dying - it’s all because of him.
And it’s just not worth it.
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A dare from your ‘mates’?....
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....got a mind of your own?
3.
That saddo
does anything I
ask him!
To get back at somebody?....
....was it really worth it?
4.
What a
complete
loser!...
For
Pete’s sake
Jake.
1. Design a poster or video storyboard showing how a small, deliberately started fire can end in tragedy.
2. Write a letter to someone you think may start fires for fun. Try to persuade them to stop, consider the
reasons they may be doing it, and your ideas on how they could stop.
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Let’s just imagine.......
A few friends are planning what to do with their evening. They are bored,
and so they decide to call their friend Julie from the ‘phone box on the
corner – but she’s out – gone shopping with her Mum. Just for a laugh
they trap the girl who has made the call in the ‘phone box. They taunt her
in to calling the fire service - “Just for a laugh! Go on don’t be a chicken!”
She doesn’t want to appear scared in front of her mates so she picks up
the receiver and dials 999. She asks for the fire service and gives the
address of a house that she says is on fire. She slams the receiver down and they run away laughing. “Don’t worry.”
they say “Nobody will get hurt. It’s just a good laugh!”
In the Control Room, at the Fire Service Headquarters, there is no way of
knowing if the call is a real one or a hoax. The officers there simply take
details and decide which of the fire appliances is best placed to answer
the call. The Fire and Rescue Service covers a large area and only has a
limited number of appliances. One is sent rushing to the scene.
Suddenly the Control Room gets another call. It’s from a woman on a
mobile. She sounds hysterical. She is on the hard shoulder
of the motorway her car has crashed and is on fire! Her daughter is trapped inside.
The ambulance service has also had the call. An ambulance is racing to the scene.
A fire appliance is also needed very quickly. The nearest one is racing to
the hoax call. Another one is called, but valuable time is lost.
The ambulance crew arrive first and the paramedics rush to the car
to try and release the trapped girl – but they are beaten back by
the heat. When the fire appliance arrives they get straight to work
and put out the flames – but it is too late for the girl inside.
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Later that evening the friends turn up at Julia’s
house to see if she is back from her shopping
trip. Her father answers the door. He
looks terrible. He tells them that
Julie has died, trapped in a
burning car, and that her
mother is in hospital suffering
from shock. “Do you know?” he
says, “We’ve been told that Julie might have lived if
the nearest fire appliance hadn’t been called out on
a hoax call!”
Did you know?
■
■
■
■
■
■
The Fire Service responds to every 999 call.
The Fire Service never knows where it will be needed next!
The Fire Service only has a limited number of fire appliances.
The Fire Service has to cover a very big area.
20% of 999 calls are hoaxes.
80% of hoax calls are made by young people.
This means that sometimes fire appliances are rushing to places where
they are not needed whilst real emergencies are happening elsewhere.
Hoax calls cost lives - they are never the right thing to do!
Just think:
Why do people make hoax calls?
What can be the consequences of making hoax calls both for the “victims” and the person who actually makes the call?
Why does the Fire Service have to respond to all 999 calls?
What can be the consequences of this?
What would you do if somebody encouraged you to make a hoax call, or you knew of someone who has made hoax calls?
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Life is full of choices!
Some small, some big, some very important and some only minor. Every day we make hundreds of choices.
So why do we make the choices we make?! Since we have been born we have had thousands of experiences.
These experiences have helped shape how we think, feel and react. Trouble can start when we don’t think about
the consequences of how we act. There is
always an outcome to how we act.
We have a thought, then a feeling and then
we react. If your brain decides that
something is a big threat or challenge it
responds so quickly that we don’t even
seem to think at all – we just react! We’ve
learnt this over thousands of years.
This can be a very good thing as it may save us from harm. However there are often times
when we do have time to think, and this too can be equally good!
Scientists believe we have around 50,000 waking thoughts a day. Some are just ordinary thoughts like what to have
for breakfast. Some are positive thoughts that can make us feel good inside. Some are negative thoughts. We all
have them and they are not particularly
good or useful. They are often based on
fear, worry or some feeling of not being
good enough. They tend to come along
when we are stressed or tired. Getting
control of these thoughts can make a big
difference to our lives. It’s about us
exercising control over them rather than
the other way round!
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Imagine a situation. A group of friends are out together when
one of them suggests setting off a fire-alarm at the community
centre – “Just for a laugh.” All the others agree, except one.
What sort of thoughts could be going through their heads? What
if one thought that bubbled up was “I don’t want to do this but, if
I don’t, what will my mates think?” Now it’s choice time! Make
as many suggestions as possible as to what the choices might be
and what the consequences of the choices might be. Think back
to some of the choices people have had in this book and the
consequences of those choices.
Don’t forget, if you end up in a situation like the one above, the
chances are that most of the other people are thinking the same
as you. You may find that the person who’s acting irresponsibly
is the only one who thinks it’s a good idea!
Do’s and don’ts
We all know that there are many rules – do’s and
don’ts. Usually these exist to protect us all.
Sometimes they may seem daft to us – but take some
time to weigh them up – they usually make good sense.
But in the end it is really down to the choices we make.
Some choices are really tough – you might be afraid of
getting things wrong, getting hurt, being rejected or
made fun of by your mates. But deep down we usually
know if something is right or wrong, good or bad, or
might hurt others. It can take real courage to stand up
for what we think is right – especially when others are
trying to make us do the opposite.
Jez is going to set
off the alarm now hang on a
minute.
Would it be a
laugh? or could it
be dangerous?
I’ll stop that wally
Jez doing
something REALLY
stupid.
STOP.
Think.
Decide.
Sometimes, if you have time, it helps to visualise traffic
lights if you have a difficult choice to make! First focus
With a group of friends, make up a situation like the
on the red and tell yourself to mentally stop. It’s time
one above and get each person to write down how
to think before acting. Now focus on the amber – what
they would REALLY feel and react in that dilema. Each
are your options and what could the consequences be?
group could act out their scenarios in front of the
Now green – you decide the best action and do it!
other classmates and get their opinions too.
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The day things
changed for Jake.
One day Jake came home from school and
saw something that changed his way of
thinking forever.
One of his neighbours was being rescued from
his burning house by fire officers.
The man survived, but it made Jake realise just
how extremely dangerous fire is.
He realised that it could easily have been him,
and he thought about it for a long time.
He also understood how important the Fire
Service is and the work they do saving lives and
helping people every day. He is a far more
considerate person now!
That’s great Jake!
Lancashire Fire and Rescue Service
Garstang Road, Fulwood, Preston PR2 3LH
www.lancsfirerescue.org.uk
This booklet has been produced with the support of BHP Billiton operator of the Liverpool Bay oil and gas development in partnership with ENI UK Ltd.
Acknowledgements:
Cheryl Buggy Educational Consultant, Geoff Etheridge Lancashire Fire and Rescue Service
Graham Hatfield School and Community Partnership Team leader
Designed and Printed by RAS Chester in Association With Sarn
©Copyright August 2005