North Wales Fire and Rescue Service is urging people to look out for elderly relatives and neighbours on International Day of Older Persons 2017 which takes place officially this weekend (Sunday 1^st October).

Older People’s Day is an international day created to recognise and celebrate the achievements and contributions that older people make to our society.

The risk of dying in a fire for those aged 65 and over is higher than average. This becomes even more pronounced when considering our ageing population. According to published statistics there are around 157,000 people living in North Wales now who are aged 65 or older, of which around 7,300 are aged 90 or older.  But projections show that by 2037, this will increase to around 213,500 people in the area aged 65 or older, of which almost 22,000 will be aged 90 or older.

Last year, 41% of all the people involved in the dwelling fires that North Wales Fire and Rescue Service attended were aged 60 or over.

Although older people are at greater risk from fire there are a few simple precautions they can take to make sure they are as safe as possible.

Staff from the Service are attending a variety of events across the region to promote fire safety for older people, including an event at Venue Cymru today, an Older People’s event at Connah’s Quay tomorrow and Age Cymru event in Bangor next week.

Paul Scott, Head of Community Safety, said: “Smoke alarms save lives, so please ensure elderly friends or neighbours fit a smoke alarm, maintain it and test it regularly.  

“If you're visiting your older relatives or friends or you can spare time to call in at a neighbour’s then please test their smoke alarm while you are there.  Working smoke alarms offer valuable time that can help people escape for their home in the event of a fire.”