Member Article

Fire Brigade Campaign To Ban The Pan

Fire chiefs on Teesside are launching a campaign urging people to throw out their chip pans.

Cleveland Fire Brigade’s “Ban The Pan Forever” campaign coincides with the start of National Chip Week and comes after a chip pan death in the Brigade area in December 2005. Its main aim is to encourage residents to get rid of their old-fashioned chip pans once and for all and replace them with a safer deep-fat fryer or cook oven chips as a healthier option. Fire chiefs are also challenging chip pan manufacturers and retailers who supply the public with the old-style pans to join the ban. Mark Whelan, Director of Operations and Community Safety said: “Ban The Pan Forever” is being launched during this high-profile chip week to emphasise the importance of our campaign.

There are more than 8,000 chip and fat pan fires in Britain each year resulting in 34 deaths and 3000 injuries. We want to get rid of old-fashioned chip pans once and for all. “We have terrific support and endorsement for our campaign from everyone from the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister, the Chief Fire Officers Association, celebrity chef James Martin and health clubs boss Duncan Bannatyne to health and safety partners and members of the public who have experienced the devastating effects of a chip pan fire.”

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Ruth Mitchell .