Advice for smokers and smoking materials

 “Smoking is not only bad for your physical health, but smoking materials are also the biggest cause of fire related deaths in the home. These are shocking facts and should act as a deterrent to all those smokers out there. However, for those struggling to kick the habit it is important to remember that extra care needs to be taken when smoking at home.

“It is vital that smokers realise how great the risk of fire is.  A little extra care will mean fewer lives lost or put at risk and fewer households losing their homes and treasured mementoes."

“This is why the Fire Kills campaign was sponsored by Communities and Local Government to remind people to Put it Out, Right Out!”

These are the biggest cause of fire-related deaths in the home. Nearly a third of all households have a smoker living in them. There are an average of 132 deaths, 1,600 injuries and 4,300 fires per year in accidental home fires caused by smoking materials*.

The average damage caused by a house fire costs £25,500, compared to the £4.89 average cost of a packet of cigarettes. 

Tobacco is designed to stay lit, and therefore cigarettes can very easily start an accidental fire. This is why the UK Government has pushed for a new EU study into the effectiveness of 'Reduced Ignition Propensity' cigarettes - which go out quickly if left unattended. But by following some simple precautions you can prevent a fire in your home:

• Take extra care when you’re tired, taking any sort of drugs or have been drinking alcohol. It’s very easy to fall asleep without while your cigarette is still burning.

• Never smoke in bed - if you need to lie down, don’t light up. You could doze off and set your bed on fire.

• Never leave lit cigarettes, cigars or pipes unattended - they can easily overbalance as they burn down.

• Buy child-resistant lighters and matchboxes - every year children die by starting fires with matches and lighters. Keep these where children can’t reach them.

• Use a proper, heavy ashtray that can’t tip over easily and is made of a material that won’t burn. Make sure your cigarette is not still burning when you are finished - put it out, right out.

• Tap your ash into an ashtray, never a wastebasket containing other rubbish - and don’t let the ash or cigarette ends build up in the ashtray.

• Fit and maintain a smoke alarm - when a fire starts, you only have a few minutes to escape. A working smoke alarm can buy you valuable time to get out, stay out and dial 999. You can get a basic smoke alarm for the same price as a packet of cigarettes. Better still are those smoke alarms with long-life batteries or are mains-powered.