More than 65 pupils from Canton’s Severn Primary have been equipped with vital gas safety information to help keep their families and loved ones safe and warm at home.
Wales & West Utilities gas ambassadors, Andy Firth, Julie Spicer and Gwyn Atherton, paid a visit to the school to deliver a ‘Get Creative, Be Safe’ session. The session, specifically aimed at young people, helped drive home the simple steps people can take to stay safe from the dangers of carbon monoxide – the ‘Silent Killer’.
Get Creative, Be Safe features characters, Ben and Chloe, who are on a mission to share important information about gas safety in the home, and the dangers of carbon monoxide (or CO) poisoning in particular.
As part of the day, the team explained what gas does in the home and how it gets there, before detailing what Wales & West Utilities do to make sure people continue to receive a safe and reliable gas supply. They also spent time explaining the steps people should take if they were to smell gas or suspect CO poisoning, before encouraging youngsters to learn the national gas emergency number – 0800 111 999.
Year 2 pupil Angharad Chandler, who attends Severn Primary School, said:
It was really good to have an outside person come into school to give us tips on staying safe. I now know what to do in an emergency and will definitely be telling my family the national gas emergency number!
Andrew Jones, Deputy Head at Severn Primary School, added:
The event was delivered in a fun and informative way and all children were engaged throughout. We are grateful to have this as a resource from Wales & West Utilities and will certainly look to add additional sessions for other year groups.
Andy Firth, Data Accuracy Officer and Gas Safety Ambassador, added:
We were delighted to visit the school and give the children information about how to stay safe form the dangers of gas. As a company we work hard to help keep the communities we serve safe and warm as well as raising awareness of the deathly dangers of carbon monoxide poisoning, which is called the Silent Killer because you can’t see it, smell it or taste it.
Carbon monoxide (CO), known as the ‘silent killer’ because you can’t see it, smell it or taste it, kills 50 people a year in England and Wales and hospitalises many more. In the UK, there are more than 4,000 visits to Accident and & Emergency for treatment of carbon monoxide poisoning – which can often lead to lasting neurological damage. Even low levels of exposure over an extended period can cause serious health issues, including brain injuries.
To stay safe, people are urged to:
- Make sure that gas appliances are serviced annually: that includes gas boilers, gas cookers and gas water heaters.
- Know the signs of carbon monoxide: Look out for your gas appliances burning a floppy yellow or orange, not crisp and blue; pilot lights on boilers frequently blowing out; extra condensation inside your window; soot or yellow stains around appliances.
- Know the symptoms of carbon monoxide poisoning: similar to the flu or food poisoning without a high temperature.
- Get an audible carbon monoxide alarm in every room with a gas appliance and test it regularly.
- If your alarm sounds, or you suspect carbon monoxide, take action: move outside into fresh air, leaving doors and windows open as you go. Then call the National Gas Emergency Service on 0800 111 999. In a medical emergency, don't delay, call 999 immediately.
Wales & West Utilities, the gas emergency and pipeline service, brings energy to 7.5m people across the south west of England and Wales. If you smell gas, or suspect the presence of carbon monoxide, call us on 0800 111 999 straight away, and our engineers will be there to help any time of day or night. Before visiting, we'll ask you to let us know if you or anyone in your household, is experiencing Coronavirus symptoms or self-isolating. We'll still come and help you: but our teams will take some additional precautions to keep us all safe.
If you’d like a visit from Wales & West Utilities Gas Safety Ambassadors, contact them at gasambassador@wwutilities.co.uk