Last month Crucial Crew took place. It consisted of the community fire safety team alongside our partners delivering valuable safety information to about 900 year six pupils over the course of a week at University College Isle of Man.

Our partners include representatives from Manx Gas, Manx Utilities, Schools Nursing, St John Ambulance, Police, Coastguard, Bus Vannin and Manx Telecom.

The community fire safety team delivered information about fire risk and common hazards in the home.

Examples of fire risk are rooms where electrical equipment is left on or on charge, candles, incense sticks or naked flames and rooms with portable heaters in use.

Within the kitchen we recommend that pans are never left unattended when cooking and not to cook if you are tired, have been drinking alcohol or taking medication that might make you drowsy.

It is important to never overload electrical sockets, don’t leave items on continuous charge, ensure all electrical appliances are clean and in good working order.

Only leave essential appliances such as the fridge or freezer switched on.

Turn off all other electrical items when they are not in use.

If you use electrical heaters keep them away from anything that can catch alight and never use them to dry clothes.

Candles, tea lights and incense should only be placed in stable, heat resistant holders. Keep them away from materials that may catch fire such as curtains, furniture, papers and clothes.

A fire can start anywhere in the home so early detection is vital. Fit smoke alarms in your lounge/living room, bedrooms, landings and hallways and fit a heat detector in the kitchen. It is important to ensure smoke alarms are fitted in the right place, don’t fit a smoke alarm in or directly outside a bathroom as steam can cause false alarms.

Always follow the manufacturer’s instructions. Working smoke alarms save lives and we advise you test your smoke alarm every week. We use the phrase ’Test It Tuesday’ to ensure we remember and hopefully this will remind you too.