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Fire Safety Information and Contacts

 

        Emergencies: 999

                       112

 

Oxfordshire Fire Service

Oxfordshire Fire Service: 01865-842999

 

 

Fire and Safety

Fire Safety

Community Fire Safety Helpline: 08000-325999

 

Community Safety Team

01865-252283

 

Recruitment

Retained Recruitment:  0800-5870870

Whole Time Recruitment:  01865-855249

 

Arson

Fire Emergency: 999

                             112

Crime Stoppers: 0800-555 111 (anonymous)

 

Abandoned Cars

Fire Emergency: 999

                            112

Oxford City Council: 01865-252931

Oxford Police: 08458-505505

 

Call the City Council to remove vandalised and fire damaged vehicles, or vehicles without a tax disc on a highway or left in the same place for a long time unused.

 

Call the police if a vehicle shows up in your neighbourhood vandalized or left in an unusual place.

 

Fire Brigades Union

 

National Energy Foundation

 

National Association of Chimney Sweeps

 

 

Is Your House Safe?

 

When was the last time you had your chimney swept? Are you safe from Carbon Monoxide (CO) poisoning and chimney fires?

 

The Oxfordshire Fire Service is currently running a campaign to raise awareness of chimney/flue safety, which states that, "There has been a five per cent increase in chimney fires across Oxfordshire over the past three years. The increase has been directly attributed to residents not sweeping their chimneys on an annual basis."

 

The National Association of Chimney Sweeps (NACS) strongly recommends that chimneys/flues (when used) should be swept at least once a year if burning smokeless fuel, at least twice a year if burning bitumous coal and quarterly if burning wood. A common misconception is that gas fire flues don't require sweeping, however these flues still need sweeping about once every ten years to remove cobwebs and the accumulated dust.

 

This advice is relevant to private householders and especially important for landlords because in April 2008 the new Corporate Manslaughter Act comes into effect. This indicates that the directors of the company managing a property could be found guilty of Corporate Manslaughter if a breach of regulations causes a fatality.

 

Another little known fact is that within a smoke control zone, wood can be burnt on Exempted Appliances pursuant to Smoke Control Exempted Fireplaces) Orders. Otherwise it is illegal to burn wood in any other device. Further information on smoke control zones can be obtained from the local Environmental Health Office. Information about Exempted Appliances can be found through the National Energy Foundation, http://www.nef.org.uk/.

 

This article was written by Ian Bush, Director of First Choice Chimney Sweeps. He lives in Marston and is registered with both NACS and HETAS. Reprinted from the Marston Times March 2008 with permission of Jan Sanders Editor.