Prevent death by fire: quit smoking

According to statistics, half of the deaths caused by fire in Dorset last year can be attributed to smoking.

Now the NHS Stop Smoking Service and Hamworthy Fire-fighters have teamed up to offer free Stop Smoking sessions for local residents at the Hamworthy Community Fire Station.

At the weekly Stop Smoking Session, local people can access free advice and support to help them quit smoking from highly trained Stop Smoking Advisors.

Firefighter and Community Fire Safety Advisor, Dave Prior, said: “When the Stop Smoking Team asked to use the community fire station as a base for a Stop Smoking service, it made perfect sense to the fire-fighting team. This new service means we can help save lives back at the station as well as out in the fire engines. Smoking is one of the main causes of fires, so helping people to quit is a key part of fire prevention.”

Dorset fire-fighters are regularly seconded to the Community Fire Safety Team, where they carry out home safety checks and install 10 year smoke alarms completely free of charge.  

Julia Yeates is Stop Smoking Team Co-ordinator said: “Starting a brand new weekly session in the fire station was too good an opportunity to miss.

“You are up to four times more likely to quit successfully with the free support of our highly trained team than if you go it alone. Local residents and people working in the area can call us on 541541, book an appointment for this or any of our other 41 stop smoking sessions across Bournemouth and Poole, and get help to quit for free.”

The Stop Smoking Team have recently been identified by the NHS’ Strategic Health Authority as one of the best teams in the South West after helping 2,051 people in Bournemouth and Poole successfully quit in the last year.