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Fire safety fund

We are pleased to announce that the following organisations have been awarded funding as part of the ESC’s Fire Safety Fund 2011-12.

33 projects will receive awards from a combined fund total of £140,000. The Fund aims to support electrical fire prevention schemes through partnership working at local level that endeavour to influence safety standards and help to change behaviours, with a particular focus on areas of high-risk and vulnerable groups to help keep people safe.

This year’s successful projects will cover a range of activities, including the testing and replacement of unsafe electrical appliances and initiatives aimed at raising awareness of electrical safety issues. All the projects will be delivered between August 2011 to March 2012 and will help support the delivery of effective consumer safety activity at local level.

Full details of this year’s awards are outlined below.

ENGLAND
Organisation	Type of Organisation	Town	Summary of Project	About the Project
Wandsworth Community Safety Partnership	Local Authority	Wandsworth	Awareness raising	Develop a new awareness programme aimed at the elderly which will use real life scenarios to highlight everyday electrical dangers and hazards within the home.
Royal Berkshire Fire and Rescue Service	Fire and Rescue Service	Tilehurst Reading	Awareness raising	Six week awareness campaign in local community to encourage good housekeeping in areas surrounding the electrical intake, particularly premises electrical installations, consumer units and highlighting the need to store combustibles correctly.
Leicestershire County Council, Home Safety Action Group	Local Authority	Leicester	Awareness raising	Create an awareness calendar in partnership with local Fire and Rescue Service and Trading Standard team which will feature different home safety messages each month.
Streetwise Partnership Trust Ltd	Laser Centre	Bournemouth	Awareness raising	Create a new burnt out bedsit scenario in the Laser Centre's two storey house which will demonstrate the dangers of various household appliances with preventative guidance provided to participants.
North Lincolnshire Hazard House	Local Authority	Brigg	Awareness raising	Develop the Local Authority's 'Hazard house'; a converted property which uses real-life scenarios to demonstrate dangers in the home and include electrical safety messages.
Liverpool Trading Standards	Trading Standards	Liverpool	Products: testing and replacement	Working in partnership with merseyside Fire and Rescue Service, operate a PAT testing scheme to educate traders in the area and raise awareness of the risks associated with secondhand electrical products which can be purchased in local businesses in BME community.
Warwickshire Fire and Rescue Service	Fire and Rescue Service	Warwick	Awareness raising	A Junior Safety Champion Scheme with fire safety education sessions being delivered by Fire Crews to local primary schools with various interactive learning activities including spot-the-hazard poster and a child-friendly self supported home fire safety check to carry out with their parent/guardian.
East Sussex Fire and Rescue Service	Fire and Rescue Service	East Sussex	Awareness raising	Develop current content and layout of the web based Black Museum which was recently launched. The Black Museum uses images/videos and stories to promote the causes of fire and related safety messages to change perceptions more effectively than traditional communication methods.
Lancashire Fire and Rescue Service	Fire and Rescue Service	Preston	Awareness raising	Fire safety research project of consumer intake assemblies. Staff will collect heat readings, thermal images and total load usuage of properties to establish baselines to inform electrical/fire risk reduction activities which will be shared with partner agencies and wider Fire and Rescue community.
Derbyshire Fire and Rescue Service	Fire and Rescue Service	Derby	products: testing and replacement	Purchase extension leads and conversion plugs to distribute to community (particularly migrant members) via Home Safety visits. Free PAT testing will also be offered at various local market events.
Eight Three AV	Education and training provider	Derby	Awareness raising	Create a film with a group of young people to highlight the key aspects of electrical fire safety within the home which will be disseminated throughout local community.
Pre-school Learning Alliance	Charity	Flitwick	Products: testing and replacement	Partnership adaptor exchange initiative with Luton Fire and Rescue Service offering free 4-way extension leads in exchange for block adapters. Free Home Fire Safety visits and child safety equipment will also be offered.
Flashpoint Safety Centre Ltd	Laser Centre	Bodmin	Awareness raising	Revamp the kitchen scenario within the interactive centre to include additional electrical and fire safety messages.
St Peters Partnerships (Safeguard It)	Charity	Ashton-under-Lyne	Products: testing and replacement	PAT testing service offered via current Home Fire Risk Assessments. Specific advice will be provided on the dangers of trailing wires and the important of surface mounted electrical installations.
Hazard Alley Safety Centre	Laser Centre	Milton Keynes	Awareness raising	A new programme will be developed and delivered in the interactive centre promoting key electrical safety messages aimed at the elderly, disabled and sheltered housing residents. The kitchen and dining room scenarios will be revamped to highlight the dangers of various high risk electrical appliances and products.
North Somerset Trading Standards	Trading Standards	Weston-super-mare	Awareness raising	Deliver awareness raising sessions in local secondary schools in partnership with Avon Fire and Rescue Service during the festive period highlighting the dangers of electrical appliances. Cooling stands for laptops, PS3 and Xbox consoles, and heat mats for straighteners will be offered to students.
Norfolk County Council Trading Standards Service & Norfolk Fire and Rescue Service	Local Authority	Norwich	Products: testing and replacement	Nine 'Keep Warm and Safe' events to take place across Norfolk offering electric blanket safety testing, PAT testing and free Home Fire Safety checks which will include fitting free smoke alarms. Events will also have a number of other partners attending offering a wide range of safety advice.
Swinton Community Business (Salford) Ltd. t/a Helpling Hands Minor Repairs Service	Not-for-profit	Pendlebury, Salford	Home Safety visits	Offer all elderly clients in community free Home Safety Checks that will cover all electrical appliances in the home. Visits will be conducted in partnership with local Fire and Rescue Service.
Humberside Fire and Rescue Service	Fire and Rescue Service	Hull	Awareness raising	Awareness magnets will be placed on high risk electrical appliances displaying key safety messages to follow when using the product during Home Safety visits. RCD extension leads will also be provided to housegolds in greatest need.
Plymouth City Council Trading Standards	Trading Standards	Plymouth	Products: testing and replacement	Working in partnership with Age UK, MIND, Social Services and other community safety groups, run PAT testing sessions throughout local community to test residents small electrical appliances, particularly targeting those in sheltered accommodation and social housing. Vouchers will be offered towards replacing any products which fail the testing.
South West Home Safety Partnership	Voluntary committee	Taunton	Awareness raising	Testing of residents Christmas lights at various community events with general electrical Christmas safety advice provided in partnership with local Fire and Rescue Service, Age UK, Care and Repair and Trading Standards team.

SCOTLAND
Organisation	Type of Organisation	Town	Summary of Project	About the Project
Strathclyde Fire and Rescue Service	Fire and Rescue Service	Lanark	Products: testing and replacement	Products replacement initiative allowing elderly residents in the community to exchange block style adaptors for 4-way RCD protected extension leads. During these events, electric blanket testing will be offered with full replacements provided.
North Ayrshire Trading Standards	Trading Standards	Irvine	Products: testing and replacement	Events will be held to exchange block adaptors for 4-way extension leads. Safety leaflets and guidance will also be produced and distributed.
Fife Community Safety Partnership	Community group	Glenrothes	Products: testing and replacement	Ten electric blanket and replacement events to be held in partnership with Fife Fire and Rescue Service, Fife Police, Fife Cares, Victim Support and NHS Fife who will provide a range of safety advice.
North Lanarkshire Council	Local Authority	Coatbridge	Products: testing and replacement	Testing and removal of unauthorised adaptor chargers.
East Dunbartonshire Council Trading Standards	Trading Standards	Milngavie	Products: testing and replacement	Electric blanket testing and replacement events with 4-way adaptors offered in replacement of block adaptors. Electrical safety information packs will also be issued.
East Ayrshire Council Trading Standards	Trading Standards	Kilmarnock	Products: testing and replacement	Electric blanket testing events.
Falkirk Council Trading Standards	Trading Standards	Falkirk	Products: testing and replacement	Various adaptor amnesty events in the area inviting members of the community to exchange block adaptors for safer 4-way extension leads. Trading Standards officers will be available to provide advice on electrical products.
Tayside Fire and Rescue Service	Fire and Rescue Service	Forfar	Products: testing and replacement	PAT testing of electrical appliances carried out in the homes of disadvantaged groups such as the elderly and families with children. Block adaptors will be exchanged for 4-way extension leads and advice will be provided on the dangers of using faulty/unsafe electrical appliances.

WALES
Organisation	Type of Organisation	Town	Summary of Project	About the Project
Dyfed Powys Police	Police	Ammanford	Homes Safety visits	Dyfed Powys Police Bobby Van scheme will carry out home visits to elderly and disabled homes which will provide a range of advice including electric blanket safety and addressing electrical wiring concerns. Referrals will be made to local Fire and Rescue Service to carry out full Home Fire Safety Checks.
South Wales Fire and Rescue Service	Fire and Rescue Service	Llantrisant	Awareness raising	Produce safety packs as part of a Home Safety Health Check campaign which will contain key electrical safety messages.
Vale of Glamorgan Trading Standards	Trading Standards	Barry	Products: testing and replacement	PAT testing scheme offering free testing of electric blankets, portable heating appliances, Christmas lights/decorations at a number of key venues in both urban and rural areas in the County.

NORTHERN IRELAND
Organisation	Type of Organisation	Town	Summary of Project	About the Project
Newtownabbey, Antrium, Larne & Carrickfergus Borough Councils	Local Authority	Newtownabbey	Products: testing and replacement	Several electric blanket testing events with information provided about the dangers of overloaded sockets, switching off appliances correctly, RCDs and old electrical wiring in homes.