London firefighters are backing vaping as a way to reduce the risk of house fires caused by smoking.
London Fire Brigade – the city’s combined fire service – announced that it “received PHE’s support for e-cigarettes as a key method of helping smokers quit to reduce tobacco-related fires.”
Public Health England (PHE) has launched its annual smoking cessation campaign, Stopober, and for the first time publicly encourages smokers to try e-cigarettes to quit. This year marks the sixth year of Stopober, and for the first time it is sponsored by a pro-vaping organisation.
Firefighters say smoking is the cause of most fire deaths, although cigarette-related fires account for only 9%. Vaping accidents are rare and have not resulted in any deaths, firefighters say.
“Surprisingly, our statistics show that in the past three years there have been 3,580 fires caused by cigarettes compared to only 15 fires caused by e-cigarettes,” said Dan Daly, Deputy Chief of the Fire Department.
“Fire brigades have had to attend to many fires caused by people littering cigarette butts. It is clear that quitting smoking is not only good for your health but also helps prevent unnecessary fires.”
“The fire department has no reports of injuries or deaths due to vaping devices exploding. However, e-cigarette users are reminded that they still pose a small fire risk, and that users should never leave their e-cigarettes charging when they are not at home or sleeping. Always use the correct charger.”
This advice is in line with the recommendations of battery experts. By following basic battery safety guidelines, vapers can use their devices without worrying about safety. Yet the media focuses on vape explosions and ignores the benefits, making people afraid of this product.
Source: Jim McDonald - Vaping360
Translated by: The Vape Club
