the website of South Ashford Community Forum
Make sure you know where the supplier is based, a ‘co.uk’ URL doesn’t guarantee the website is UK based. If there is no address supplied, or there is just a PO Box, be wary; many fake electrical goods are manufactured overseas, where they will not be safety tested and are produced as quickly and cheaply as possible.
#EFSW
#Spotthefake
Drivers – I’ll never drive after drinking any alcohol or drugs – not a drop, not a drag.
Everyone – I’ll plan ahead to make sure I, and anyone I’m with, can get home safely and I’ll never get a lift with drink/drug drivers. I’ll speak out if someone’s about to drive on drink or drugs. (more…)
Beware of a product with solely glowing reviews, especially if the reviewers aren’t verified. Some sites cross-reference user reviews with their buyer database and label those people as “verified purchasers”.
#EFSW
#Spotthefake
Drivers – I’ll stay under limits, and slow down to 20mph around schools, homes and shops to protect others. I’ll slow right down for bends, brows and bad weather, and avoid overtaking.
Everyone – I’ll speak out for slowing down and help drivers understand that the slower they drive, the more chance they have of avoiding a crash and saving a life.
Speed is a critical factor in all road crashes and casualties: the faster you drive, the less time you have to stop in an emergency, and the harder you hit.
Fast traffic often makes people afraid to walk or cycle. Lowering traffic speeds to 20mph around shops, schools and houses creates a safer road environment, reducing pedestrian and cyclist casualties by around 40%.
#brakepledge
#roadsafetyweek
Some fakes are for sale just below the recommended retail value, hoodwinking shoppers that are too savvy to fall for the ‘too good to be true’ deals. Make sure you do your homework if you decide to buy products below high street retail prices.
#EFSW
#Spotthefake
We know it’s easy to miss those small details that give away a fake, especially in the rush of Christmas shopping and trying to grab a bargain on Black Friday. We’ve found that around nine million UK shoppers have purchased a fake electrical product as a Christmas gift in the past – pretty scary when you think about the fact that fake internal parts in electrical items are at risk of exploding, leaving you open to serious injury or property damage. So, if you buy a fake, at best you’re being swindled but at worst you’re putting your life at risk.
So if you’re making a list ahead of Black Friday, make sure you check it twice!
#EFSW
#Spotthefake
Every year for Electrical Fire Safety Week, the Government’s Fire Kills campaign
works in partnership with Electrical Safety First, the UK charity dedicated to
reducing deaths and injuries caused by electricity in the home.
Electrical Fire Safety Week runs from 21st to 27th November
This year, the Charity is warning about counterfeit and substandard electrical
products. There is always a lot of media interest in this subject in the run up to
Christmas, particularly around “Black Friday” and “Cyber Monday” – when
retailers (online and on the High Street) offer big discounts to drive sales of musthave Christmas gifts.
Brake’s vision is a world where streets are pleasant, unpolluted, and safe for everyone to use freely. Sign the Pledge and help make our
vision a reality.
Every day 5 people die on UK roads, and over 60 are seriously injured – every one causes needless devastation, trauma and suffering.
Brake is asking everyone to help end this needless suffering by spreading the word in Road Safety Week about the life-saving importance of the Pledge.
www.roadsafetyweek.org.uk/pledge
#brakepledge
#roadsafetyweek
Road Safety Week is the UK’s biggest road safety event, coordinated annually by Brake and involving thousands of schools, organisations and communities each year.
Brake is a road safety charity that works to prevent road death and injury, make streets and communities safer, and supports the victims of road crashes. Brake founded Road Safety Week in 1997 as an annual event to raise awareness about road safety and promote steps that everyone can take to stop these needless deaths and injuries year-round.
Road Safety Week aims to inspire communities to take action on road safety and promote life-saving messages during the Week and beyond. It also provides a focal point for professionals working in road safety to boost awareness and engagement in their work.
All sorts of people get involved – nurseries, schools, youth clubs, army bases, community campaigners, employers, sports clubs, fire officers, local authorities, paramedics, driving instructors …. you name it!
For many of us it goes without saying that strapping your little ones into a properly fitted car seat is the safest way to travel with them. Not only that – it’s also the law.
Now that the weather is colder, many families will be swapping their spring/summer strolls in the park for trips in the car, wrapping their children up warm in their winter coats and scarves, leading to lots of people asking, “just how safe it is to strap children into car seats while they are wearing their winter coats?”
The answer is that clothing can affect how snugly the seat’s harness fits the child, so it’s important to check it is snug on every journey. If your child is wearing a thick jacket or body suit the harness will not be close enough to his/her body, which means it will be too loose. In a collision, this would allow the child’s body to move too much before the harness starts to restrain the child, which reduces the safety of the seat considerably. We do not recommend that thick jackets or bodysuits are worn. If a child was wearing a thick coat on a previous journey, and is wearing something less bulky on the next journey, it is doubly important to check the harness fits snugly. So, if more than two fingers can fit between the child’s chest and the harness, it is too loose. (more…)
It’s the time of year that families across the country will be heading out to brave the cold to view spectacular firework displays for Bonfire Night – while A&E departments will be bracing themselves to deal with horrific burns injuries.
Unfortunately, too many family trips over this period end in tragedy, with around 1,000 people ending up in hospital with injuries from fireworks, in the four week period around November 5.
In all cases these injuries would have been avoidable, so the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA) is asking everyone to “remember, remember” its simple safety advice to ensure a happy and safe Bonfire Night.
Ashley Martin, RoSPA public health project manager, said: “Burns injuries are absolutely devastating, not just for those injured but also for their family, particularly when children are involved, as they leave terrible physical and mental scars that will last a lifetime.
“Equally devastating is the fact that they are completely avoidable when fireworks are involved. People only need follow our simple safety advice, to ensure they and their family avoid a tragedy.”
Kent Fire and Rescue Service Community Safety Service Delivery Manager, Charlie Smith said: “Bonfire night can be great fun for all the family but it is important that people celebrate safely. It is always best to attend an organised display but if you are planning your own, please make sure you follow the firework code.
“Many accidents are caused by improper use of fireworks and by carelessness. Figures show that more children than adults get hurt by fireworks.”
He added: “Bonfires are a lot of fun too, but they can be dangerous. If you are having a bonfire this year, we urge you to take care and to follow our simple tips on our website, to make sure you and others are safe and acting lawfully.” (more…)
Kent Fire and Rescue Service (KFRS) is recruiting on-call fire firefighters and you could be just the person that we are looking for!
On-call firefighters come in all shapes and sizes, all ages and from all walks of life – office workers, beauticians, farmers, bankers, builders, stay-at-home-parents. It doesn’t matter whether you are already working or not, KFRS wants to hear from you if you are: