There are many reasons to dial 999 and ask for the fire service, but calling them because your bag is stuck in a tree isn’t one of them.
The London Fire Brigade this afternoon tweeted about a call that they had received from a young lad who wanted the fire service to retrieve his bag from a tree.
In the tweet, the London Fire Brigade said:
“Never dial 999 unless it’s a genuine emergency.
“Our Control Officers often have to deal with hoax callers and time-wasters.
“This morning they took a call from a youngster who needed help getting his schoolbag out of a tree it was stuck in. We didn’t attend”.
Now, some of our readers might say that, because of his age, the young lad didn’t know any better.
However, we should not forget that at 16, young men and women can join the armed forces and fight for their country (as did I when I was 16).
So, unless things have changed drastically in the last couple of decades, I cannot see how anyone over the age of, say 9, would think that dialling 999 and asking for the fire service because your homework is stuck up a tree is in any way ‘acceptable’.
Indeed, the LFB actually offer a service to schools where firefighters will attend a school and talk to the pupils about when they should and should not be calling the fire service.
On the LFB’s website, it says:
‘Our Education Officers use their training, experience and expertise to deliver fire safety messages in an appropriate way so older children understand the importance of home fire safety.
‘We can also help you talk about issues including:
- Arson and the consequences of setting fires to the community.
- Hoax calling, and what could happen if you make a hoax call – the events you set in place, and what the consequences might be for others and yourself.
- Setting off fire alarms and how dangerous this can be.’
‘The workshops are carefully managed to reduce young people’s natural curiosity about fire and reduce the risk of it developing into an interest in deliberately lighting fires.
‘Although our aim is to help children become more ‘fire safe’ by teaching them about the dangers of fire and smoke, responsibility for making their home safer is very much placed parents and guardians.’
If you work in a school that is located in the London area and would like to take advantage of this offer, then CLICK HERE to visit the LFB’s website.
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