A Senior Officer from North Wales Fire and Rescue Service is thanking residents who took on board their fire safety messages over the Christmas period and is asking everyone in the region to make it their New Year’s Resolution to protect their homes.

While the festive season is drawing to a close there is still plenty of celebrating ahead with New Year’s Eve celebrations taking place in many homes tonight.

By taking a few basic steps people can protect their loved ones and their property and North Wales Fire and Rescue Service is urging residents to make increased fire safety one of their New Year’s resolutions.

Gary Brandrick from North Wales Fire and Rescue Service, said: “I hope that everyone enjoyed their Christmas festivities and that they are looking forward to their New Year celebrations.

“This has been a busy time for many of our staff and crews with the flooding in the region - I would like to pay tribute to their hard work in extremely testing conditions. Our control room received 311 calls regarding flooding between Christmas Eve and today, with crews working tirelessly to help protect our community. These calls are of course on top of calls to other emergency incidents such as property fires, car fires and road traffic collisions.

“We saw a number of serious incidents in the home over the festive period – many involving cooking.  Between Christmas eve and this morning, we attended 11 fires at domestic properties – 5 of which involved cooking. Never, ever leave cooking unattended - it only takes a few minutes for a small fire to develop into one that is serious and life threatening. Cooking after drinking is also a recipe for disaster. Countless fires are caused each year by people drinking alcohol and deciding to cook a snack for themselves before going to bed.

“I’d like to take this opportunity to thank all our residents who took on board our safety advice and avoided a fire in their home over the Christmas period.

“It’s also important to remind people that fire in the home remains a serious risk with often devastating consequences, not just over the festive season but all year round.

“We would ask people to take a few moments to follow our safety advice and ensure they really do have a happy New Year and one to remember for the right reasons .”

Advice for staying safe this winter includes:

· Ensure you have a working smoke alarm installed on all levels of your home. A working alarm can give you the vital time needed to escape in a fire. Test your smoke alarms regularly and never remove batteries.

· Never leave cooking unattended. The majority of fires start in the kitchen so this is a high risk area. Avoid cooking while under the influence of alcohol and always turn off kitchen appliances when finished with them.

· Never leave candles unattended. Keep candles in a secure holder, out of the reach of children and away from flammable material such as curtains, lights and heaters.

· Put your cigarette out - right out. Make sure cigarettes are fully extinguished and take care when drinking alcohol or tired. It's easy to fall asleep while a cigarette is still burning and set furniture alight.

· Don't overload sockets - ensure only one plug per socket. Always turn off plugs when they are not in use, except those that are designed to be left on, like freezers.

· Make sure that everyone in your home knows what to do in a fire - in the event of fire: get out, stay out and call 999.

For further fire safety advice go to www.nwales-fireservice.org.uk

For advice on fire safety risks, North Wales Fire and Rescue Service offers free home safety checks. A member of the Service will visit your home, undertake a safety assessment, and if necessary, fit a new smoke alarm free of charge.

"These checks are available free for all residents in North Wales. To request a check, phone our 24 hour hotline on 0800 169 1234, e-mail cfs@nwales-fireservice.org.uk , log on to our website www.nwales-fireservice.org.uk Please leave your contact details and a member of the Service will be in contact to arrange a convenient time to visit your home."