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Home » News & Events » 2020 » December » Book up a Free Safe and Well check to stay safe at home: HWFRS tells residents on International Day of People with Disabilities

Book up a Free Safe and Well check to stay safe at home: HWFRS tells residents on International Day of People with Disabilities

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Book up a Free Safe and Well check to stay safe at home:  HWFRS tells residents on International Day of People with Disabilities

Today (3 December 2020) is International Day of People with Disabilities, and Hereford & Worcester Fire and Rescue Service (HWFRS) is encouraging people with mobility issues to consider home fire safety and escape route planning, even during the pandemic.

Safe and Well Checks are still taking place despite Covid -19, reflecting the importance placed on such visits.

According to the WHO World Report on Disability, 15% of the world’s population, or more than 1 billion people, are living with disability.

Whether you’re a wheelchair user, have limited mobility, a hearing impairment or other disability, it is worth considering how you would escape or protect yourself if a fire happened in your home.

HWFRS Community Risk Technicians are delighted to visit local residents and carry out a Safe and Well Check, to help keep them safe in their homes. This can enable them to work together to devise escape plans for both day and night, should a fire occur.

It offers advice on how to reduce the risk of fire in the home, including the checking and fitting of smoke alarms as required.

Nearly 1,400 home visits since start of pandemic

Currently, particular priority is being placed on visiting people considered the most vulnerable to fire and since the start of the pandemic, technicians have carried out nearly 1400 visits, fitting 1350 smoke alarms and 130 specialist alarms for those individuals who are hard of hearing.

Group Commander George Marshall of Hereford & Worcester Fire and Rescue Service Community Risk Department said: “Such a visit gives us the opportunity to assess the premises and work out the safest place for residents to go in the event of a fire at different times of day, depending on which floor they spend most of the day and which floor their bedroom is.

“Where a resident can’t escape their home unaided, fire crews can be made aware of agreed escape plans so we would know where to look for individuals.”

“If an individual is hard of hearing, we can advise on fitting a vibrating hearing alarm.

“Anybody who finds walking a struggle, or who needs a wheelchair to get around their own home, can really benefit from the thorough advice the fire service gives.”

“Don’t forget a Safe and Well Check is a FREE home safety visit tailored to an individual's needs, and we can identify any health and care needs that require signposting to local services to help ensure safety and wellbeing. A Check helps us to help people stay safe, independent and able to stay in their own home.”

Safe and Well Checks can advise on:

  • Fire safety in the home
  • Falls prevention
  • Winter Warmth
  • Social Isolation and loneliness
  • Crime prevention
  • Smoking

How to arrange a visit

For more information on home fire safety, and to watch our Safe and Well film, visit www.hwfire.org.uk/safeandwell. If you would like to see if you qualify for a free Safe and Well Check, call the HWFRS Community Risk team on 0800 032 1155 Option 2.

Also check out the IDPWD website at https://idpwd.org/ to see what services they provide.