Welcome from the Chief Fire Officer

Chimney Safety

Autumn is fast approaching - so now is the time to be safety conscious before lighting your fire for the first time.

Most chimney fires are preventable so it is important to keep yourself and your family safe by doing everything possible to reduce the risk of a fire.

The most common causes of chimney fires are inadequately sized or poorly installed appliances, blocked chimneys and using wet wood in burners.

There are a number of precautionary measures you can take to ensure you and your household are as safe as possible when lighting fires at home.

Get your chimney swept

A good place to start is to have your chimney swept by a certified member of the National Association of Chimney Sweeps. Infrequent sweeping of chimneys can increase the risk of chimney fires, and can even cause carbon monoxide poisoning.

All chimneys should be swept regularly, and now is the perfect time before the colder winter months set in and you begin to use your fire more regularly.