THE JEP is today urging every Islander to Make a Plan – and protect themselves and their loved ones from the danger of house fires.

We have joined forces with the Fire and Rescue Service to try to reduce the number of people who dice with death every day by simply not having an action plan in the event of a fire.

Over the next three months we will show Islanders how they can safeguard themselves and their family by taking just a few simple steps. And we will feature reports on firefighters, 999 operators and medics who see at first hand the devastating effects of fire.

A worrying lack of fire prevention by some Islanders was exposed in the wake of the fatal house blaze in First Tower which claimed the life of a three-year-old girl.

In the hours after the blaze firefighters visited 30 nearby households to offer fire safety advice. They found that one in three properties had no way of detecting a fire. Two residents had no smoke alarms, while another eight had alarms which didn’t work.

The aim of the Make a Plan campaign is simple: to make these figures a thing of the past. To do this, we need Islanders to make a fire escape plan, and make sure that their smoke alarms work. And we want as many Islanders as possible to have a free home fire safety check, in which firefighters visit a property to point out areas of concern, offer advice, help to create a fire plan and, if needed, give out free smoke alarms.

Mark James, Jersey’s chief fire officer, said: ‘The best fire for us is one that doesn’t happen. But if someone does wake up during the night to find their room filled with smoke, it is essential that they know what to do. There are few fires at night, but you are more than twice as likely to be injured than in a fire during the day.’

*Call Jersey Fire and Rescue Service on 445967 to arrange a free home fire safety check.