Date: 04/10/2017
Fortem Take Part in Gas Safety Week
Gas Safety Week is exceptionally important all year round however it is not always the top priority in households and workplaces. Gas Safety Week is set in place to demonstrate how essential it is to communicate the potential harm gas can cause. The week, which began this year on 18th September, gave Fortem the opportunity to use their expertise to make people aware of gas safety.
Gas Safety Register UK recently reported that over 5.5 million brits are failing to get gas safety checks each year, with numbers this high the increased risk to people’s health is inevitable. Recent findings show that nearly half (46%) of the nation’s homes currently do not have a Carbon Monoxide (CO) alarm; this could leave more than 12 million households across the UK at risk from CO poisoning. This goes to show how little knowledge most people have on the potential harm gas can cause.
On Tuesday 19th September, Rotherham Metropolitan Borough Council (RMBC) invited Fortem to set up a stall in the town centre for a week to encourage passers-by to discover how to stay gas safe. Utilising their Smart 4 Life digivan, Fortem’s very own portable teaching facility, a team headed over to the city centre market where they promoted gas safety to the people of Rotherham.
The event was a joint promotion in partnership with both RMBC and the fire services - primarily based around promoting gas safety but also to encourage the knowledge of electrical fixed wire testing. Fortem’s team handed out leaflets and quizzed members of the public on their knowledge on the topic. It was a great turn out with over 100 participants taking part in the quiz. Those who took part were entered into a prize draw of £20 love-to-shop vouchers every hour until the day came to an end.
While sometimes it is difficult to evaluate how much of an effect events such as Gas Safety Week have on the public, interacting with individuals and hearing stories throughout the day made it apparent the day was worthwhile.
Three clear messages were delivered by Fortem over the course of the day:
- It is extremely important to get all of your gas appliances safety checked at least once a year by a registered engineer, there is an option to sign up for a reminder of this on
www.staygassafe.co.uk - Make sure that the engineers which visit your home are legally registered with the gas safety register; this is the only official gas authority within the UK and can also be found on
www.gassaferegister.co.uk - Check for warning signs your appliances may display, these can include a lazy yellow flame instead of the usual blue one, black marks on or around the appliances and even to much condensation within the room. If you suspect something is wrong report it immediately. Other warning signs can be seen on
www.gassaferegister.co.uk/help-and-advice/gas-safety-in-the-home/gas-safety-tips
