Under the Blazing Sun: Fire Safety on Holiday

The recent forest fire in Cyprus has once again highlighted the devastating effects forest fires can have on a drought-blighted landscape.

The island of Cyprus is currently suffering a major drought, with severe water restrictions being imposed across both the southern Republic of Cyprus and the Turkish Republic of North Cyprus. With Cyprus having received only a fraction of her normal winter rainfall, reservoirs are almost at empty, and the landscape is tinder-dry.

The latest fire broke out in the southern mountainous coastal region, between the popular tourist resorts of Larnaca and Limassol, in the foothills of the Troodos Mountains. Five mountain villages were evacuated as a precaution, but thanks to the combined efforts of over 300 firefighters, 95 vehicles and seven water-dropping aircraft, there was no loss of life.

Only three holiday homes were destroyed, but the flames claimed around 10 square kilometres of forest and olive grove. Mediterranean forest takes over 50 years to fully regenerate, so the Troodos mountains will show the scars of this latest blaze for many years to come.

However, this forest fire so early in the holiday season has caused concern. The Troodos Mountains are dotted with medieval and Byzantine churches, highly decorated with some of the finest frescoes in the world. Nine are so special that they have UNESCO World Cultural Heritage site status. If the fires had spread to the deeper areas of the mountains, these unique churches could have been under threat.

So, how can you, as a tourist, help prevent bush and forest fires on your holiday in the sun this summer?

Smoke without Fire

If you are a smoker, remember that everything around you is bone-dry. A dropped cigarette, a discarded match, even a piece of broken glass, can trigger a fire that will spread rapidly. So, always fully extinguish cigarettes into an ashtray, and use a lighter rather than matches, or have a cup of water beside your ashtray to douse your matches after use.

No Fire without Smoke

Not every holiday villa or apartment is equipped to EU standards, especially when it comes to smoke alarms. Luckily, there is a simple solution, one of our favourite products here at Fire Protection Online. The Flaresafe is a unique combination of LED torch, optical smoke detector and an SOS attack alarm, all in one robust 6" long, 230g torch casing. Now, that's light enough to take anywhere in either hold or hand luggage.

Simply twist the base of the torch, and a smoke detector pops up, ready to guard you and your family throughout the night. If smoke is detected, an un-missable 110dB alarm sounds, and the torch lights up, so you can grab it and make your escape, even in the dark.

The torch itself has three settings, a full beam visible for up to 2km away, a half beam for reading maps in the car, and an SOS strobe beam in case of emergencies.

The Flaresafe also features an attack alarm, activated by holding down two highly visible orange buttons. The alarm will sound for an amazing 60 hours, thanks to the unit's modern long-life lithium battery.

Cooking in the Sun

Cooking outside is one of the great joys of a summer holiday, and many holiday villas in Mediterranean countries come equipped with brick-built barbeques. There is a reason for this! Not only are they extremely efficient and ideal for cooking in the cool of the evening, but they also lift the source of fire above ground level and contain it in a safe brick enclosure.

Get the kids involved in buying the ingredients for your barbeque, and they'll have the experience of shops and markets in other countries to add to their fun holiday experiences.

Before you even light your barbeque, fill a bucket or large saucepan with water and place it by the barbeque. Then, if any spark does fly off, you can dowse it immediately.

Now, light your barbeque safely using solid fire lighters or kindling, and cook as you would in the UK. Never leave your barbeque unattended, and make sure the fire is fully extinguished before retiring to bed.

Holiday Plan of Action

Always ensure you read properly any fire evacuation notices at your holiday hotel, villa or bed and breakfast. Also, make sure your family knows the way out in the event of an emergency. Take the trouble one day during your holidays to walk down your hotel's staircase rather than take the lift, and take your Flaresafe torch in case any of the staircase is not well lit.

If you are in a villa or holiday home, ask your company rep what the local fire evacuation signal is; in the Cyprus villages affected by the recent forest fire, for example, they rang the church bells as a warning.