Broughton pupils get dramatic fireworks message

A powerful play about the dangers of misusing fireworks is being performed at Broughton High School today. TOAST is a 30 minute drama which shows pupils how dangerous fireworks can be, as well as airing issues such as peer pressure, bullying and managing aggression.

It was originally commissioned by the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA) in Northern Ireland , was adapted for Edinburgh and is being staged by the Strange Theatre Company.

The production involves two actors playing 11 different characters, with the scene shifting between a hospital, a home, a school and a housing estate. The principal character is drawn into an ill-fated escapade with stolen fireworks, with ultimately tragic consequences.

The weeks leading up to Bonfire Night are traditionally a time of increased complaints to police about antisocial behaviour and noise relating to fireworks. Councillor Cammy Day, Community Safety leader, said: “Bonfire Night is great fun and families enjoy the spectacle of fireworks as the nights get darker. However, fireworks can be extremely dangerous if handled improperly. The play ‘Toast’ is an excellent way of helping young people understand the risks and dangers of misusing fireworks.”

Community Safety Manager for Lothian and Borders Fire and Rescue Service, Steve Harkins, said: “As the service gears up for one of their busiest nights of the year we are urging parents and carers to be mindful of the potential risks from fireworks and the need to heed fire safety advice to ensure this year’s Bonfire Night celebrations stay safe. We work closely with partners including the City of Edinburgh Council to deliver fire safety advice to schoolchildren across the area and TOAST, which highlights the dangers associated with fireworks, is an excellent example of this type of initiative.”

The play will be performed at Holyrood RC High School and Broughton High School today and moves on to Leith Academy and Castlebrae High School tomorrow (Friday 2 November).

Fireworks warning to West Pilton parents

Police and Council officers in Edinburgh will be visiting parents in West Pilton in a bid to tackle the issue of fireworks being set off and fires being started in the area. Police officers from the Safer Neighbourhood Team and city council Community Safety Team staff are visiting the homes of youths identified or suspected of setting off fireworks and fire-starting after recent incidents.

Officers have being doing additional patrols in West Pilton over the last fortnight to deter youths from throwing fireworks and, as a result of their investigations, several youths have been identified as being responsible for dangerous behaviour in the area.

Joint Police and Council follow-up visits are being carried out over the next few weeks and the parents of youths involved will be warned over their children’s behaviour. Officers will also be urging parents to take additional steps to ensure their children are not involved in behaviour which causes a risk to the community.

Inspector Mark Rennie of Drylaw Police Station said “We have had two very concerning fires in West Pilton over the last month and several worrying incidents involving fireworks. This type of risk-taking behaviour will not be tolerated. We have additional officers on patrol and we are also highlighting the problem to local shop owners but speaking to parents about the recent incidents and potential consequences is a key part of our response”.

Councillor Cammy Day, Community Safety Leader for the City of Edinburgh Council, said: “The joint visits are designed to make the position clear to parents – they are responsible for the behaviour of their children. We will carry out an investigation and look at potential breaches of their tenancy agreements and possible legal action should they not heed the warnings given to them. A key commitment of the Capital Coalition is to strengthen and support our communities and keep them safe. We will not hesitate to take the strongest possible action against those responsible for fire raising and other acts of antisocial behaviour.”

Anyone with information regarding fire setting in the area is asked to contact, Lothian and Borders Police 0131 311 3131 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.

Keeping communities safe during firework season

The City of Edinburgh Council has joined forces with Lothian and Borders Police and Lothian and Borders Fire and Rescue Service to ensure people in Edinburgh enjoy fireworks responsibly.

The lead up to bonfire night is a busy time for all emergency services, and while it is hoped everyone has fun, police will be working alongside colleagues in the fire and rescue service to highlight the nuisance and dangers associated with the illegal use of fireworks.

In the run up to 5 November, police and Trading Standards officers will be visiting retailers to remind them of the legislation surrounding the sale of fireworks. Fire safety talks will be given at schools across the city and joint patrols will be carried out to dismantle any potentially dangerous bonfires.

Councillor Cammy Day, Community Safety leader for the City of Edinburgh Council, said: “The proactive approach taken by our community safety teams in dismantling unauthorised bonfires in previous years has been really successful and this work will continue leading up to 5 November. We would remind people to only attend organised displays, remember the dangers involved in handling fireworks and enjoy their celebrations responsibly. It’s one of the busiest nights of the year for the fire service and it’s important they can carry out their vital role without the threat of anti-social behaviour.”

Chief Inspector Andy McLaughlin of Lothian and Borders Police said: “Young people and the community should look forward to bonfire night, and be able to enjoy it fully and safely. Although it is an exciting time, the risks involved in playing with fireworks should always be remembered. This is traditionally a busy time of year for all emergency services, but many calls could be avoided if people were more aware of the safety of themselves and others. It should be remembered that fireworks are, in essence, explosives, and should only be bought from reputable retailers and used in a safe, controlled environment. We have seen a reduction in these types of incidents in recent years, and we hope that our work with school children and shop owners will help continue this trend.”

Lothian and Borders Fire and Rescue Service Community Safety Manager Steve Harkins added: “We want people to enjoy themselves safely this year. We recommend attending an organised bonfire night display to reduce the risk of accidental injury from fireworks. Be aware that bonfires must be supervised by an adult at all times. If they are not we will extinguish them. We will also put out any bonfires we believe may pose a risk to people or nearby buildings. Lastly, we ask that people respect firefighters as they respond to these calls. Any incidents of anti-social behaviour or violence to crews will be reported to the police. We are there to keep communities safe from fire so please let us do our job safe from interference or harm.”

Anyone with any concerns regarding dangerous bonfires, or the illegal sale of fireworks, should contact their Safer Neighbourhood Team on 0131 311 3131.

Fire safety advice for freshers

As a new academic term starts Lothian and Borders Fire and Rescue Service is urging students to put fire safety at the top of their agenda for the years ahead:

Part of becoming a student is enjoying the freedom of being away from home and living with new friends. This can be a very enjoyable experience but it can also be daunting.

Living in halls of residence or rented accommodation means that you are responsible for looking after your own health and safety. Lothian and Borders Fire and Rescue Service work with universities and colleges to ensure that halls of residence are safe places to live, through the provision of free home fire safety advice for residents and ensuring that fire-warning systems are installed and maintained correctly.

As a resident within halls of residence, you have an obligation to ensure that the fire warning system and firefighting equipment are only used in an emergency. Unwanted false alarms caused by deliberate or malicious actuation of fire warning systems is a criminal act, which may result in prosecution, but more importantly, may lead to a delay in fire appliances responding to a genuine emergency elsewhere. Your university or college may also consider appropriate disciplinary action against students involved in such activities.

Whilst partying, smoking and drinking are all part of a student lifestyle, it is important to remember that this could put you at a higher risk of fire.

Make sure you know what to do if fire breaks out. Our advice is to get out, stay out and call 999 asking for ‘Fire’. Never attempt to tackle a fire yourself. If you are trapped by fire, get to a window if possible and dial 999. Fire Control will give you fire survival advice until firefighters can reach you.

Cooking and cigarettes are two of the most common causes of fire. In student accommodation, we are also often called to fires started by candles and tea lights. Be aware of your surroundings at all times. Don’t cook or smoke under the influence of alcohol and never leave candles unattended. If you have been drinking heavily you may be slower to respond in an emergency.

Tips on keeping your accommodation safe

Never leave cooking unattended
Never leave candles unattended
Keep candles away from flammable surfaces or textiles
Don’t cook or smoke indoors when you’ve been drinking alcohol
Don’t overload plug sockets
If a fire starts get out, stay out and dial 999
Practice an escape route with your housemates
Check furniture has the permanent fire resistant label
Take extra care with cigarettes and smoking materials. Don’t smoke in bed.
Extinguish cigarettes properly before you go to sleep
Switch off electrical appliances, like mobile chargers and hair straighteners, when not in use
Secure portable heaters up against a wall, so they don’t fall over. Keep them away from curtains, furnishings, never dry clothes on them.
Know your escape route in an emergency. Make sure you and your housemates know the quickest way out in the event of fire and consider an alternative route in case your usual one is blocked.
In all properties, the landlord must ensure gas appliances are installed and maintained annually by a registered plumber.
Know your rights. Landlords are responsible for supplying safe gas appliances and electrical wiring

Free home fire safety advice is available here: http://www.lbfire.org.uk/fire_safety/safety_home.htm and a free home safety visit can be arranged by calling 0800 169 0320 or by emailing community.safety@lbfire.org.uk

Lothian and Borders Fire and Rescue Service

Stay safe during the Festival

The Festival gets into full swing this month and Edinburgh’s population more than doubles as visitors pour into the city to be entertained. With the Fringe getting under way this weekend, police have issued safety advice to visitors from near and far.

Lothian and Borders Police are encouraging those visiting Edinburgh’s festivals to think about how they can guard against falling victim to crime.

Hundreds of thousands of tourists and visitors are expected to visit the Capital in the weeks ahead, and while incidents of crime remain relatively low during the festival period, the increased numbers of people in the city provide attractive opportunities for criminals.

The policing response to this year’s festival activity will focus on preventing crime, in particular theft, violent crime, and anti-social behaviour.

As part of this preventative approach, police are urging people to access advice on how they can protect themselves from becoming victims of crime.

Tips on crime prevention are available on information displays that have been erected in the High Street, while the Police Information Centre, also located in the High Street, will act as a hub where visitors will be able to obtain advice.

Chief Inspector Gavin Phillip, from Lothian and Borders Police, said: “Edinburgh’s festivals are world-renowned and attract a huge number of visitors, enhancing the Capital’s reputation as a safe place to visit, live, and work.

“We want to ensure that people enjoying the city during this period have an enjoyable time, and in that regard our policing plan in the month ahead will focus heavily on crime prevention.

“In particular, we want people to take steps to keep their personal possessions safe and avoid falling victim to thieves.

Likewise, we are asking revellers taking advantage of the extended opening hours during the festival to be mindful of their personal safety.

“A range of crime prevention advice is available on the Lothian and Borders Police website, and I would urge those planning to visit the city centre in the weeks ahead to visit the site”.

Community Safety Leader, Councillor Cammy Day, said: “Edinburgh really comes alive during the festival season with thousands of people flocking to the city centre to take in all the fantastic events taking place.

“Thanks to the great partnership work between City of Edinburgh Council and Lothian and Borders Police the Capital is a safe place, however it’s important people take steps to ensure they don’t fall victim to crime.

“There will also be extra patrols from both police and the Council’s community safety officers and environmental wardens to ensure the city continues to offer a very warm welcome to visitors from all over the world.”

Emergency services open day this weekend

~~Blue~~ Green light for McDonald Road event!

Hundreds of people are expected to attend the annual emergency services open day on Saturday (4 August). Hosted by Lothian and Borders Fire and Rescue Service at McDonald Road fire station, the free day out is one of the most popular in our events calendar.

Firefighter Neil Bertram, one of the event organisers, said: “The emergency services open day is always a great day out and it’s free! Last year we had more than 700 people through our doors at McDonald Road. This year the station will be open from 11am until 3.30pm.

“The Police, Scottish Ambulance Service and Coastguard will also be represented on the day. It’s a great opportunity to come along, see an operational station and find out more about the emergency services and the role they play in keeping communities safe.

“From our side we will have fire appliances on display. The height appliance will be working throughout the event, our community safety vehicle (CSV) will also be used and staff from our Community Safety Function will be on hand to give advice about fire safety and answer questions from the public. The training centre will be carrying out extinguisher and fire blanket demonstrations. They will also provide access to the Breathing Apparatus (BA) pod to allow people to get a taste of navigating in zero visibility to rescue a casualty.

“We also hope to raise some money for two very special charities, The Fire Fighters Charity who are dedicated to helping firefighters, fire personnel and their families in their hour of need and Hillview Respite, a local initiative which provides residential respite care for disabled children in Edinburgh. Both charities will be running stalls on the day to raise funds.

“Hopefully the weather will be kind to us on the day and we would urge people to pop along for what promises to be a fun family day out.”

Lothian and Borders Fire and Rescue Service

St David’s gets bright!

This article was written last winter but we’ve only just received it. The road safety message is as relevant in summer as it is in deepest winter, though, so:

Despite the miserable weather, St David’s was bright on Wednesday 23 November because the pupils and the staff all wore bright clothing to raise awareness of how important it is to dress brightly when crossing roads or going around after dark.

Students did their best to dress in bright colours, and the teachers did too. They wore everything from bright scarves to luminous safety vests. They were dressed in many different colours including yellows, greens, oranges and blues.

The Junior Road Safety Officers ran this fun event and it was a great success, like many of their previous events. They have been educating the students at St David’s all about road safety during Road Safety Week.

Around 160 8-11 year olds are hurt or even killed on the roads each week in Britain. One of the reasons for this is that children are not dressing brightly enough.

Road Safety Week presented the children and the staff with a great opportunity to learn about all aspects of road safety because during the writing classes, art, and Circle times the children have learnt key skills and to share their knowledge.

The children created many road safety based items: posters, leaflets and even board games just to celebrate Road Safety Week.

We ourselves, the community Liaison Officers, had great fun interviewing some of the children; here are some of the things they said. We asked Chantele in primary six how important it is to dress brightly, she said “It is very important to dress brightly” but when we asked her how brightly she dressed normally her reply was “I don’t actually dress brightly”.

Leah, in primary seven, was asked what she thought about dressing brightly. She said “I might look stupid but at least I’ll be safe!”

We, The Community Liaison Officers and the Junior Road Safety Officers and all the staff and pupils at St David’s are more aware now of how very important it is to be BRIGHT at all times so that drivers can see you.

Laura Hulbert and Dana Guthrie, Community Liaison Officers, St David’s Primary School.

St David's gets bright!

This article was written last winter but we’ve only just received it. The road safety message is as relevant in summer as it is in deepest winter, though, so:

Around 160 8-11 year olds are hurt or even killed on the roads each week in Britain. One of the reasons for this is that children are not dressing brightly enough.

The children created many road safety based items: posters, leaflets and even board games just to celebrate Road Safety Week.

Leah, in primary seven, was asked what she thought about dressing brightly. She said “I might look stupid but at least I’ll be safe!”

Laura Hulbert and Dana Guthrie, Community Liaison Officers, St David’s Primary School.

Security RULES for cyclists

Lothian and Borders Police are offering cyclists the opportunity to make their bikes secure at two forthcoming sessions.

At Craigleith Retail Park on Thursday 24 May (12 – 2pm) and at Ocean Terminal on Tuesday 5 June (5 – 7pm) you can have your bike registered and UV marked for £5, or registered, UV marked and electronically tagged for £10. Some lucky cyclists could get this done for free so get there early!

Remember those rules:

UV mark it

Lock it

Electronically tag it

Secure it

Lothian and Borders Police

Community Safety in Forth

Community Safety and young people were the themes of Wednesday’s Forth Neighbourhood Partnership meeting held in Royston Wardieburn Community Centre. Local youth agencies and police officers from the area’s Safer Neighbourhood Team ensured a lively and informative discussion at the teatime event.

The event opened with an excerpt from a drama currently being devised by Forth Youth Theatre. ‘Kieran’s Story’ tells a young local man’s true story and it promises to be a ‘must see’ when it’s performed at North Edinburgh Arts next month.

Pilton Youth & Children Project’s Daniel Rutherford gave a brief presentation on the one-to-one service provided through the local project, and this was followed by a short presentation by young people from Muirhouse Youth Development Group who described – despite a serious collective bout of the giggles – the wide variety of activities they are involved in!

A session of ‘breakout’ workshops in small groups was then scheduled, but Forth Neighbourhood Partnership convener Councillor Steve Cardownie decided instead to invite officers from the local Safer Neighbourhood Team to take questions and comments from the floor. This more informal forum proved to be very successful, with questions and contributions on a wide range of issues both from young people and from members of the wider community.

Neighbourhood Partnership member George Gordon chairs Forth’s Clean, Green and Safe action group. Summing up the event, he said: “The young people’s presentations were first class and we have had a very successful debate. Some specific issues have been flagged up – lighting at the Millennium Park, for example – and we have taken note of these. There have been changes to community policing and it takes a while for these changes to bed in and new faces to get known, but police officers continue to play a very active role in our communities. Communications need to be improved, but that’s an issue not just for the police but also for Neighbourhood Partnership and the action groups”.

There was only one item of formal business decided by the meeting. Neighbourhood Partnerships allocate Neighbourhood Environmental Project funding, but registered tenants groups are unable to submit applications or propose NEP projects directly. Councillor Cammy Day’s motion to amend the criteria to open this process up to registered tenants organisations was agreed without dissent.

For further information on Community Safety in Forth, telephone 529 7050.