Anton Ferdinand launched the fire safety wristband initiative when
he returned to his former school, Blackheath Bluecoats Secondary
School, Old Dover Road, Blackheath recently.
The 20 year-old England Under-21 star has become an established
member of the Hammers first-team after progressing through the
famous West Ham United Academy.
Wristbands which carry anti-poverty, anti-bullying, and anti-racism
messages are already a hit with young people and highly sought
after. The Brigade's borough team at Greenwich came up with the
idea of using wristbands for a campaign following their popularity
in the hope of increasing the number of vulnerable people taking
advantage of free home fire safety safety checks (HFSCs).
The home fire safety check scheme - in which firefighters visit
people's properties to offer fire safety advice and fit a smoke
alarm for free where appropriate - was introduced across London in
November 2003. It aims to reduce the number of accidental
fire-related deaths among older and vulnerable residents.
People who are over 60 are most likely to die in fires and many of
the initiatives have so far focused on these groups. Fires in the
home are the main cause of fire deaths and the Brigade has
increased its community safety initiatives in all London boroughs.
Greenwich Borough Commander Cyril O'Brien will visit
participating schools in the borough and speak to year groups
during their assembly about the availability of the checks and
general fire safety advice. Pupils will then be given information
on HFSCs to take home, together with a referral form for their
parents, guardians or relatives to sign approving a visit by
firefighters. Families and individuals will then be contacted to
arrange a convenient date and time.
Pupils who brought back a completed referral form when the Brigade
returned to the school the following week were rewarded for their
effort with a specially commissioned free wristband only available
from the London Fire Brigade and which carries the messages
"Hoax Calls Kill" and "Live Long".
"We hope the wristbands will capture the imagination of young
people and the wristbands catch on," said Borough Commander
Cyril O'Brien. "This is an another way in which to get
across a wide range of fire safety messages, promoting working
smoke alarms and getting the families and relatives of young people
to take advantage of home fire safety checks.
"Last year, we received over 300 malicious false alarm
calls," he said. "Every one of these could affect our
ability to respond to genuine emergencies and the wristbands are a
means of making sure young people in the borough know how serious
the consequences of making hoax calls could be."
Val Shawcross, Chair of the London Fire and Emergency Planning
Authority (LFEPA), said: "This is a fantastic scheme and one
which I'm sure will take off. Wristbands are very popular among
young people and let's hope ours become the latest craze.
"Young people can play a vital role in helping us to protect
older and vulnerable members of their family, or neighbours who may
be at risk from fire.
"We hope that young people wear the wristbands with pride and
that they encourage community safety, citizenship and the promotion
of vital fire safety messages."
"At the heart of the London Fire Brigade's work is making
communities safer by preventing fires happening in the first place.
"One of our top priorities is to reduce fires in the home
through community-based preventative work and partnerships with
other agencies such as work with schools. This is having an impact
and over the last five years the number of serious fires in the
home in Greenwich has fallen by three per cent a year on
average."
If you would like a visit or would like to arrange a free home fire
safety check on behalf of a member of your family or a friend, or
know of someone at risk, please check with them first and contact
the Fire Brigade on free phone number 0800 0 28 44 28.
Anton's School Reunion
21st April 2005