ESSEX County Fire and Rescue Service has started cleaning ovens to help cut down on kitchen fires.
Following a successful pilot in Thurrock the scheme, which has already cleaned nearly 100 ovens, is now being rolled out County-wide. But before you start queueing up ahead of the big Christmas cook up – it’s worth bearing in mind the scheme is directed at assisting those most vulnerable and unable to do the job themselves.
Station Officer Tony Howard, fire prevention officer who masterminded the scheme, said: “I was visiting an elderly man in Thurrock who had suffered smoke inhalation after a fire in his kitchen. Talking to him, I realised the fire had started because he was no longer able to clean his oven.
“He has a care assistant who visits and the rest of his home was spotless but that service doesn’t extend to cleaning ovens and fat had built up in there which ignited when he put a lamb joint in to cook.
“Two days later there was another incident just a few roads away which also started in a dirty oven. That made me realise that delivering an oven cleaning service would be a fantastic way to prevent kitchen fires among some of the most vulnerable people in the county.
“I launched a pilot with funding from Thurrock Council and that has proven so successful that we are rolling it out County wide.”
Under the scheme vulnerable people who are physically unable to clean their oven are referred to ECFRS by friends and family or other care services.
They first receive a home fire safety visit, which includes the fitting of smoke alarms free of charge and an assessment of their kitchen. This is then be followed up by a visit from a professional oven cleaning service which will leave the oven spotless and reduce the very real risk of a kitchen fire.
Station Officer Howard said: “So far we have cleaned nearly 100 ovens and that means that we could have prevented dozens of fires already. This is another initiative designed to keep people in Essex safe – we are doing more and more innovative preventative work to save people from the trauma of having a fire in their home.
If you know someone who you think is at risk because they are unable to clean their own oven call Essex County Fire and Rescue on 0300 303 0088 or email [email protected]
