As people across Wales enjoy a feast of rugby over the next few weeks, Firefighters in Wales would like to see success on and off the field for the communities they serve!

As thousands of rugby followers head out and drink to rugby, Firefighters would like them to remember not to risk cooking afterwards!

Alcohol can seriously affect judgement, especially if faced with an emergency situation such as a chip pan or other cooking-related fires.  So while many enjoy the rugby with alcoholic drinks, either in their own houses or soaking up the atmosphere out at pubs, the worst result this Six Nations would be to lose someone in a fire that could have been avoided.

In Wales in 2007-2008 there were 1,987 accidental fires in the home. Of these, 946 (48%) either didn’t have smoke alarms, or had smoke alarms that were not in working order. Therefore, around half of all accidental house fires in Wales which the Fire and Rescue Services attended had working smoke alarms.

During the same period, twenty lives were lost in accidental dwelling fires in Wales. Thirteen of these fatal fires were caused by smoking materials (e.g cigarettes), which can also be a big danger when under the influence of alcohol, and three of these fatal fires were caused by cooking.

Chief Fire Officer for South Wales Fire and Rescue Service Andy Marles said,

We’d strongly advise against drinking alcohol and then trying to cook yourself a hot meal when you get home.  Our Firefighters regularly attend serious house fires which have been caused by a lack of attention whilst cooking. The results can be devastating, even fatal, so please find an alternative to using cooking appliances when you’ve had a lot to drink.

One of the biggest problems is the old-style chip pan, where the oil overheats and catches fire, or when the oil spills over onto the cooker and catches alight.  The combination of drowsiness from the alcohol and the time taken for a chip pan to heat up can result in a serious fire.

A chip pan left alone takes just three to five minutes to ignite, if a full flame is on.  The fire can quickly spread from the kitchen to the rest of the property.

Remember:

•  Never cook food, especially fried food, after drinking alcohol – ‘Drinking and Cooking Don’t Mix’
• If you need to eat after alcohol, consider your local takeaway before going home or order some food for delivery
• Think about preparing something before you go out to eat when you get home.

If you cook chips or deep-fried food at any other time, follow these guidelines:

• Never fill the pan more than one third full with oil
• Never leave the pan unattended with the heat on – even for a few seconds
• Dry the chips before putting them in the pan
• Never put the chips in the pan if the oil begins to give off smoke.  Turn off the heat and leave the oil to cool otherwise it could catch fire
• Use a thermostatically controlled electric deep-fat fryer.  It cannot overheat

If you are confronted with a chip pan fire, leave the kitchen, close the door behind you, get everyone out of the house, stay out, and call the Fire and Rescue Service out.

Anyone in Wales can call the national freephone number, 0800 169 1234 to request a free home fire safety check.  Firefighters from your local area will then attend your home at your convenience, to give advice on fire safety in the home and fit smoke alarms for free.