Wiltshire people urged to unplug devices to reduce fire risks
There's been a 10% rise in electrical house fires over the last three years
Wiltshire's Fire service has set up a campaign to prevent house fires starting from small electrical devices being charged overnight.
Dorset & Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service is urging us to 'Unplug to Unwind' as a response to a number of house fires caused by overnight charging of items such as tablets and smartphones.
The service says only large appliances such as fridges should be left on all the time and that we should ensure everything else is unplugged before we leave our home or got to bed.
They've issued some guidance on preventing house fires from electrical sources.
- Make sure an electrical appliance has a British or European safety mark when you buy it.
- Remember – one plug per socket. If you need more plugs than there are sockets, use a multi-socket extension lead with integral fuse, never a block adaptor.
- NEVER ‘daisy-chain’ extension leads or adapters – daisy-chaining involves plugging one extension into another in order to reach further or plug more appliances in, and creates a huge fire risk.
- Unplug appliances at night or when you’re not using them to reduce the risk of fire – unless they are designed to be left on all the time (for example, a fridge or freezer).
- Make sure you follow instructions for all electrical devices and that you use the correct chargers in line with the manufacturer’s guidance. If the wrong charger is used for an electrical device, the internal battery can’t handle a different voltage and it can catch fire.
- Always buy from a shop you know and trust, an approved retailer or direct from the manufacturer of the same name as the device.
- Never leave items on charge when you are sleeping or when you are not at home.
DWFRS Prevention Delivery Manager Vikki Thomas told Greatest Hits Radio that the number of fires caused by electrical items is rising.
"In the last three years, we've seen a 10% rise in such fires," she said, adding that we should avoid charging small items over night: "The thing is, if there was an issue, you're going to be asleep when there is that smouldering, when there is that smoke or anything like that.
"So you're waiting then for your smoke detector to actually pick up that there is an issue in your property."
She advises to ensure we're buying charging devices that are appropriate for the item we plan to use them with as some of the cheaper models don't meet UK safety standards.
She's urging us to check for the CE marks on products: "Quite often when you are buying these cheaper imports, they are made with cheaper, poor quality components with inside.
"And quite often you, if you actually look at the item inside, you can actually see that there are components missing those safety mechanisms so paying those few pence more can actually, save your life and actually your home as well," she said.