Arsonists target bins

 

A SPATE of arson attacks on bins has prompted firefighters to warn of the dangers of playing with fire.

Fire raisers were taking huge risks with other people's lives and property, as well as risking a criminal conviction for arson.

 "What people need to realise is that although it's only a bin it is still somebody's property, and setting fire to it is a criminal offence.

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"Every week in the UK there are more than 2,000 arson attacks, which result in two people being killed and 53 people being injured. Very often bins and other rubbish storage areas are attached to buildings - in particular industrial premises, schools and colleges, and every week in the UK 20 schools and colleges are damaged or destroyed by arson and many of these are caused by bin fires."

In certain cases, arsonists who set fire to bins progress on to cars and then to homes and businesses, so the fire service is very keen to work with young arsonists to impress on them the possible consequences of their actions.

By starting a small blaze, firefighters are taken away from other work, which could be fire prevention or in more serious cases attending a large blaze.

Most small-scale arson attacks, like those on bins, happen in the evenings or at night when young people may be out on the streets and people are leaving pubs and clubs. Some are accidental, when people drop a lighted cigarette into a bin, but the vast majority are not.

Arson reduction ideas

 

• Keep leaves, firewood, overgrown brush and shrubbery and other combustibles away from buildings.

• Keep doors and windows locked when a building is unoccupied. Board up abandoned buildings. Do not use double cylinder deadbolt locks without keeping a key nearby, bars without quick release mechanisms, or other security provisions that could trap a person in a building with a deadly fire.
• Store all flammable liquids such as; paints, gasoline, and mowers in an approved storage location: locked cabinets, locked storage units, and locked garages (prevent access to kids). Also, keep away from heat sources such as furnaces and any type of heaters.
• Report suspicious activity near houses or other buildings to the local police and support Neighborhood Watch programs.
• If you suspect a child is setting fires, notify the proper authorities. It may not be "just a phase" they are going through. Keep matches and lighters out of reach and out of sight of young children. See Matchguard arson reduction match box on our web site www.pscfiresafety.com
• If you know or suspect that an arson crime has been committed, contact your local fire or police department.

 

If you have been affected by arson what steps have you taken to reduce the attack happening again?

For free home fire safety advice please click on our web site www.pscfiresafety.com scroll down to the bottom of the home page and leave your details you can then download a 68 page guide to fire safety at home.