Download PDF: Issue 63 - New Zealand Fire Service

Blenheim residents recently got a chance to walk
through a home that had been badly damaged by
fire. Station Officer Craig Love says hundreds of
people took a tour of the charred ruins and were
obviously affected by what they saw.
“It was a powerful fire safety message,” he said. It was the first
time the local brigade had staged an open home and Craig said
while it was a bit of a mission to organise, the impact was well
worth the effort.
“The fire was started in a bedroom by a four-year-old boy. There
were no smoke alarms and the inside of the house was gutted.”
Craig got the permission of the tenants and their landlord to hold
the open home and a local real estate company promoted it in the
Property Press.
“In the week leading up to the open home the brigade dropped off
the ‘There’s been a fire in your neighbourhood’ leaflets to homes
in the surrounding streets. We had over 400 people come through
on the Saturday and we got really good feedback,” he said.
Many parents made the most of the occasion to warn their children
of the dangers of playing with matches as this child had.
The local newspaper also promoted the event and then published
an extensive article on its effect on those who inspected the
gutted interior.
The brigade used the Open Home kit held at Nelson by the Fire
Risk Management team. The durable kit contains plastic signs to
mark the origin of the fire, where the smoke level was and what
doors were open. There are also signs that show the temperature at
which aluminium and glass melt. Other signs carry fire safety
messages and fire-related information.
Chief Fire Officer Rob Dalton said firefighters were stationed at
various points within the house to talk to people about aspects of
the fire and fire safety.
“For instance, the lounge had worse damage than the bedroom
where the fire started so we explained to people that this was
because the door had been left open, allowing the fire to spread.”
Rob was impressed by the effort the whole brigade put in,
particularly Craig. He said the open home was a huge success and
he would recommend it to other brigades who have not yet used
this way of drawing attention to home fire safety.
The New Zealand Fire Service Magazine
Mel Galvin
Brigade News
October 2010
17