Marianne Finkelsen lives alone in the apartment at Gran in Innlandet. The 80-year-old has poor hearing and is dependent on a hearing aid. She belongs to a vulnerable group when it comes to being affected by fire, according to the fatal fire statistics. On this day, she will have a rather special visit. It is the Voluntary Centre’s fire protection team who are ringing the doorbell. The visit meant a lot to Marianne. It may actually have helped save her life. – It made a big change in my life, at least, she says. Coffee and fire protection Behind the unique project are Lunner and Gran fire and rescue together with the voluntary centers in the two Hadeland municipalities. For the first time in Norway, volunteers are making home visits to elderly and vulnerable people, while at the same time having a basic talk and review of fire protection. 80-year-old Marianne does not hear the doorbell. She also struggles to hear the fire alarm, if the hearing aid is not in. The volunteer team gave her several aids. When the fire alarm goes off, or Marianne’s doorbell rings, a small polar bear standing by the TV blinks. She has also been given a vibrating pillow and a flashing device in the bedroom. – They could see what I needed, she says after the visit. Ten good tips against fire Always test the smoke detectors Learn how the fire extinguisher works Carry out fire drills at home Carry out an electrical check of the electrical system, preferably by a certified inspector Never walk away from bright lights Do not smoke in bed Check that the stove, washing machine and tumble dryer are switched off at night Avoid dry boiling , feel free to use a stove guard Omnar must not be covered Do not charge electronic equipment such as mobile phones and PCs at night Source: Finance Norway Coffee slobbers at the fire station Every fourth person who received home services had insufficient fire protection in their home. This shows a survey carried out in connection with the project. And the idea of visiting the elderly has come from the elderly themselves. – We had a popular coffee slobber race at the fire station. There they met many elderly people who also mentioned that they would like to think of a little more help. Then we started to crowd together with the Volunteer Center, says Bjørg Lomsdalen Næss, contact person for the Volunteer Fire Protection Team. MANY VISIT: news was able to visit the home of Marianne Finkelsen (80) at Gran. There were also Bjørg Lomsdalen Næss, fire chief Sturla Bråten and volunteer Åge Lindahl. Photo: Aleksandr Nedbaev / news Fire Chief Sturla Bråten in Lunner og Gran hopes this initiative will be able to help save both life and property. – After all, this is a voluntary matter to be visited by the fire protection team. So there is a motivation and will present to have this visit. And we know that when the will and motivation are there, it also produces a better effect, he says. – Very safe – We check, among other things, whether they have smoke detectors that work, fire extinguishers that are in working order and check whether they have a stove guard, says Åge Lindahl, who is one of the volunteers. In advance, the volunteers have received training from the fire service. Each of the teams consists of two people who have coffee in the thermos and something to bite into. The list of tasks includes: A talk about fire protection Check existing fire protection equipment Carry out a simulated/theoretical fire protection exercise Create a plan for how to increase fire safety in the home Give advice on where to get the necessary fire protection equipment Help to install new fire protection equipment For 80-year-old Marianne Finkelsen, it has been a good visit. She thinks it has been both cozy and useful. And finally, she feels safe in her own home, should a fire occur.
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Voluntary fire protection team goes on home visits to the elderly in Gran and Lunner – news Innlandet – Local news, TV and radio
