Fire crews on standby for busiest night of their year

FIREFIGHTERS are gearing up for their busiest night of the year - November 5.

And station commander John McShane of Cumbernauld Community Fire Station has been telling the News about the challenges his team face at this time.

He said: “Often many of the calls we receive are in response to deliberate, malicious fires.

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“Responding to these incidents places a significant burden on our front line staff and also means that crews from neighbouring stations need to be called in to provide continuing cover to respond to incidents where people’s lives may be at risk.

“We would ask for the public’s co-operation in keeping the community safe by ensuring that they not allow an accumulation of refuse which could be ignited.’’

He also released these key safety guidelines.

nAttend a local organised display which is held under controlled conditions and is much bigger and better than a “back garden” display.

nDon’t go near an “unofficial” display where safety rules are ignored and where fuel for the fire such as drums of oil, could potentially be a deadly hazard.

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nKeep an eye on your children, by all means let them join in the fun, but don’t let them stray too close to the fire or fireworks. -Consider others. People who are elderly, infirm or unwell will not appreciate the unwelcome noise generated by some fireworks.”

North Lanarkshire Council have released details of their annual firework display at Broadwood Stadium which is on November 4 at 7.30pm.

The event is free but any child under 12 must be accompanied by an adult for safety reasons.