Fire chiefs warn against 'unnecessary risks'

The Chief Fire Officers Association of Scotland (CFOAS) today (Thursday) urged members of the public not to take any unnecessary risks following reports of a potential petrol strike.

The move followed reports that talks over a possible fuel tanker strike will not now take place before Monday, raising the potential for bulk-buying of fuel.

 CFOAS Chair, Chief Fire Officer David Dalziel said:

"The safety of the public and our firefighters is our priority and we would ask that the public focus on keeping themselves safe and not putting their families or our firefighters at an increased risk"

Assistant Chief Officer Lewis Ramsay, the CFOAS lead for Prevention and Protection, added:

"Clearly any form of flammable liquid stored in the home or indeed in garages or outbuildings presents a potential hazard to both occupiers and firefighters.

"It is therefore vital that this risk is fully considered prior to anyone taking such a course of action."

If individual still feels it is necessary to follow to have a store of fuel, CFOAS urged people to follow the advice below:

Do not fill a container more than the capacity printed on the label.
Do not store petrol inside a domestic premises.
Store petrol in a place that is not part of or attached to a building used as a dwelling.
Petrol must be stored in approved plastic or metal containers of the sort that can typically be purchased from filling stations.
You can store up to 30 litres of petrol in two appropriate 10-litre metal containers and two appropriate 5-litre plastic
containers.
ACO Ramsay added:

"It is of critical importance that should there be a fire in a property in which petrol is stored, our firefighters are informed of this at the earliest opportunity. Petrol and Diesel are potentially dangerous substances and we would recommend that the public keep any storage of these substances to a minimum".