Finland Times

 

Photo - Lehtikuva.

About 50% of the children in the lower primary schools have virtually no knowledge about safety measures and ways to exit in case of a fire incident in their houses, said a survey report conducted by the emergency rescue services.

 

The survey was based on interviews conducted with about 8,000 primary school students, including 5,000 from the lower primary and 3,000 at upper, in three regions in the capital city on the eve of the national Fire Safety Week set to begin on Saturday.

 

Although the students of the lower primary level were not familiar about fire safety measures, most of the students from the upper primary level had some knowledge about it, the report said.

 

Less than half of the respondents said there was no smoke detector in their bedrooms even though installing the mechanism was made mandatory by law. 

 

File picture of smoke detector on the ceiling. Photo - Lehtikuva.

More than 95% of the children, however, knew the phone numbers of the emergency services with which the fire fighters, police and ambulances could be called.

 

Except for just a few, most of the houses have fire extinguishing tools such as fire blankets. 

 

Eighty percent of the students at the upper primary level knew how to use fire blankets and extinguishers.

 

The nine-day Fire Safety Week in Finland is jointly organised by Palo Kunnat (fire brigade), SPEK (Finnish national rescue organisation), PSR (Physicians for Social Responsibility), Suomen  Palopäällystöliito (State organisation in charge of promoting safety), Pelastusliitot (regional rescue services),  Sisäasianministerio (interior ministry), Nuohousalan keskusliito (the central association of chimney sweeps) and Finanssialan keskusliito (federation of Finnish financial services).