Cumbria Fire and Rescue Service has pledged its support for Gas Safety Week.

The service will be promoting the week on social media to raise awareness of gas safety and urge the public to keep themselves safe from dangerous gas appliances.

The annual Gas Safety Week will see Fire and Rescue Services and organisations from across the UK work together, to encourage all gas consumers to make sure they have their gas appliances checked annually by a Gas Safe registered engineer and protect against the dangers of unsafe gas appliances, such as fires, leaks, explosions and carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning.

It is crucial that people have their appliances checked each year to be assured they are working safely and efficiently.

People should also ‘Trust the Triangle’ and check that their engineer is Gas Safe registered. Anyone working on gas appliances while not being registered is working illegally.

Station manager Mark Ducie from Cumbria Fire and Rescue Service said: “It is important that we support and raise further awareness during gas safety week to educate our communities on the importance of maintaining their gas appliances in their homes and also understand the signs and symptoms of carbon monoxide poisoning if the gas appliance becomes faulty at any time.

“This is why Cumbria Fire and Rescue Service is encouraging all households to purchase and install at least one carbon monoxide detector.

They are as little as £10 to £15 from DIY stores or supermarkets and really are proven life savers in relation to carbon monoxide; test weekly to ensure they are operating correctly. In 2015 the law changed and it is now compulsory for private rented land lords to install a carbon monoxide detector in their properties for their tenant’s safety if there is an open fire or wood burning stove.

“Carbon Monoxide poisoning has seen a national 23 per cent increase in the last year and the signs and symptoms of the silent killer need to be known by all. The symptoms are very much like flu symptoms – dizziness, nausea, headaches, breathlessness however, clear up once outside. So if you suffer any symptoms like these there could be a good chance of carbon monoxide poisoning in the property and you need to seek medical attention plus have all gas appliances inspected as soon as possible.

Carbon monoxide is tasteless, colourless and cannot smelt either so it’s vitally important that all properties have a carbon monoxide detector that will detect it before it becomes harmful or lethal to those in the property.”

Jonathan Samuel, managing director for Gas Safe Register, said: “It’s great to have the support of Cumbria Fire and Rescue Service this Gas Safety Week.

“By working together we can reach more people and help to reduce the number of dangerous gas appliances that could be lurking in the homes of the UK’s 23 million gas consumers. We know from our own investigations data that one in six gas appliances in the UK are unsafe meaning far too many people are victims of preventable gas related incidents.”