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in Westminster also co-operated by arranging special window displays
of fireproof night wear and children's clothing, fire-guards and other
safety devices.
A special Home Safety Display with the topic " Guard that Fire,"
was arranged in the window of the Citizens' Advice Bureau at Alhambra
House, and attracted considerable attention. With the kind co-operation
of other committees, posters were displayed wherever possible at the
Council's establishments—public conveniences, baths, housing estates
and offices. Twenty thousand bookmarks were distributed through
the Council's Public Libraries, and correspondence stickers (small
reproductions of Home Safety posters) were affixed to the envelopes of
letters dispatched by the Council's various departments throughout
the period of the campaign.
So far as direct advertising was concerned, small advertisements
were inserted in eight consecutive weekly issues of the West London
Press, and the Westminster and Pimlico News.
Altogether, 150 double-crown posters (20 in. by 30 in.), 50 small
fluorescent posters, 2,000 leaflets, 20,000 bookmarks, and 8,000
correspondence stickers, were purchased for use in this campaign.
It is hoped that all these measures helped to bring home to the
residents of Westminster, and to the many thousands of shoppers and
office workers who visit Westminster each day, the fact that the majority
of home accidents are caused by carelessness, and can be avoided with
a little thought.
Incidence of Fires Originating from Oil Heaters
On 14th November, 1961, a report was submitted to the London
County Council by the Fire Brigade Committee and the Health
Committee dealing with the incidence of fires originating from oil heaters.
The report showed that the problem of fires from oil heaters is almost
entirely a post-war one, the number of fires in England and Wales from
this cause having risen from 63 in 1946 to 2,204 in 1959.
An examination of the statistics set out in the report indicated
that oil heater fires are essentially a localised problem, the highest
incidence being in certain parts of Paddington, Lambeth, Islington and
Kensington.
The Oil Burners (Standards) Act, 1960, became effective on 1st
January, 1961. It empowered the Home Secretary to make regulations
as to the standards of safety of oil heaters and their parts, to reduce
or prevent risk of fire, and for the affixing of instructions on their working
and use. This Act was subsequently repealed by the Consumer Protection
Act, 1961; the Oil Heaters Regulations, 1962, were issued in May, 1962,