Locks and Security News: your weekly locks and security industry newsletter
17th April 2024 Issue no. 701

Your industry news - first

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Firefighters - not locksmiths!

The London Fire Brigade revealed that firefighters are being called out almost once every hour to rescue people who have locked themselves in or out of a building or vehicle. Over the last three years, the Brigade was called out to around 22,000 incidents involving people being locked in or locked out - costing taxpayers around £5.7m.

The Brigade wants to reduce the number of these incidents and is reminding the public to call a locksmith, not the fire brigade, when they find themselves stuck.

Dave Brown, the Brigade's Head of Operations, Prevention and Response, said: "We get called to an absurd number of non-emergency incidents involving people who have locked themselves in or out of their homes.

"We've even had people call 999 to ask if we can come round and let them into their homes, but then ask for the fire engine to arrive at 11.30pm once they've finished at the pub."

He added: "If it's not a genuine emergency, ring a locksmith, not the fire brigade. Whilst firefighters are helping people get back into their homes, someone else could be trapped in a fire. If it's obvious to our crews that it's not an emergency, we won't help and people may well find themselves left out in the cold."

In 2009, 2010 and 2011 London Fire Brigade was called to:

- 2,287 incidents where people were locked in
- 1,613 incidents where people were locked out
- 1,409 incidents involving babies or children being locked in cars or homes
- 276 adults and 176 children locked in toilets
- 12 people locked in cemeteries
- 14 people locked in cupboards
- A woman stuck in a fridge
- A man shut in a freezer
- A person locked in the luggage area of a coach
- A person locked in a crematorium with a child
- A person stuck in a recycling bin

6th June 2012