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43
Over 3,000 persons visited the Home Safety Exhibition.
50,000 "Guard that Fire" leaflets were distributed with the
help of the Boy Scouts, The Order of St. John, The Red Cross and
the Housing Department.
It is slow work educating the public about the danger of an
unguarded fire and there are too many accidents among the very
young. Fireguards are cheap but in many homes where there are
luxuries, a fixed guard is still considered an unnecessary
expense and an eyesore. People are slow to bring old appliances
to the standard of the Heating Appliances (Fireguards) Act, 1952.
There are now good safe materials on the market for clothes and
every effort is being made to persuade the public to purchase
them.
The annual figures given in the Appendix, Page 123 show that
under 5 years and over 65 years are the most vulnerable ages.
1. Falls are the greatest cause of injury particularly to
the very old and young.
2. Burns, scalds are mostly to children under 5 years.
3. Poisoning is common with young children due to
lessness in storing drugs and various cleaning materials.
May I take this opportunity to thank all the many voluntary
organisations, traders, utility services, together with the
various departments who have assisted in this work.
Tables are given in the Appendix, page 123.