Elderly resident uses personal alarm pendant to call for firefighters’ help

Three crews of firefighters responded to a call for help from an elderly resident who had been overcome with smoke and collapsed during a fire at his home. The resident got into difficulty as the fire broke out but was able to activate his personal alarm pendant to notify his care provider, who dialled 999 and alerted local fire crews. Crews from Bracknell, Ascot and Wokingham responded to the incident in the evening of Friday 21 April. When firefighters arrived at the scene, smoke was pouring from the property and it was confirmed the elderly man was trapped inside. Four firefighters wearing breathing apparatus entered the property and rescued the man. They used one hose reel to extinguish the fire. Paul Jones, Group Manager at Royal Berkshire Fire and Rescue Service said: “The crews acted swiftly and effectively to help this gentleman escape a very dangerous situation. “But the reason that we had got there so quickly was due to the gentleman alerting us by using his personal alarm pendant. “We would encourage anyone that has mobility issues or feels vulnerable to the risk of fire in their home to register for a free home fire safety check. One of our representatives can visit you to assess your property and give you guidance on how to reduce the risk of fires starting in your home.” To find out if you qualify for a home fire safety check, you can: • Visit http:///www.rbfrs.co.uk/your-safety/…/home-fire-safety-check/ • Email [email protected] or • Call freephone 0800 587 6679.