Mills alarmed at ‘over the top’ bonfires in the area

Speaking at last week’s Monthly Meeting of Council in The Braid, he said some of the structures he visited were “totally over the top”, adding: “I am not talking about wheelbarrow tyres, motorcycle tyres or car tyres, I am talking about large tractor tyres”.

Making reference to the local authority’s Bonfire Grants scheme: he said, “I hope those involved are not going to receive any money from this council”.

Meanwhile, Northern Ireland Fire & Rescue Service (NIFRS) is urging people to think ‘safety first’ when building or attending bonfires.

Dale Ashford, Assistant Chief Fire Officer Safety Services with NIFRS, says: “We play a central role in protecting our community and we want people to be safe, act responsible and use their common sense when building and attending bonfires. Bonfires can easily get out of control if they are not built safely and properly supervised.

“Bonfires should be kept to a manageable size and sited in a clear open space, at a safe distance from buildings and overhead cables. As a rule of thumb the bonfire should be a minimum distance of five times its height from property. The bonfire should not contain any potentially hazardous material and never use flammable liquids such as petrol or paraffin, as these can produce explosive vapours. Remember should your bonfire get out of control call 999 immediately and ask for the Fire & rescue Service.”

Last year Fire Crews attended 49 bonfire related incidents on the 11th night (6pm, July 11 - 8am July 12) and despite the downward trend in previous years this was almost double the number of bonfire related incidents attended on the same night in 2010.

With this in mind, the Fire & Rescue Service is appealing to the public to follow its safety advice to ensure bonfires don’t get out of control.

NIFRS also wants to remind everyone that if Firefighters respond to an emergency call out in the vicinity of a bonfire, it’s because someone in the area is concerned about the bonfire getting out of control. They say ‘Firefighters are not out to spoil anyone’s fun, their job is to protect life and property from the dangers of fire’.

Dale Ashford said: “Operationally the 11th night last year was busier for us than the same night during previous years with Fire Crews attending 23 more bonfire related incidents compared to the same night in 2010. Our operational response to these types of incidents was further challenged by a few reckless members of the community that attacked our Firefighters, damaging our Fire Appliances and slightly injuring one of our Firefighters.

“Thankfully attacks on our Firefighters are declining year on year and although these were isolated incidents I am asking the community for their support to ensure that Firefighters are able to carry out their job without fear of attack or harassment. Firefighters have a job to do to protect the local community and if they are called out to attend a bonfire that is out of control, they are responding because someone in that area is concerned. Remember your Fire & Rescue Service is here to protect life and property and not to spoil anyone’s fun.”