The London Fire Brigade has thrown its support behind Public Health England, which recommends using e-cigs to help quit smoking. PHE is also behind Stoptober, the annual event that encourages people to give up smoking for a month, in the hope they will quit for good. London firefighters are now supporting the use of vaping as a safer replacement for smoking – and for more than one reason.
According to their statistics, more than 3,580 fires have occurred over the last three years that were directly caused by cigarettes. And that is just in the London area. In stark contrast, the same period saw just 15 fires caused by electronic cigarettes. Furthermore, no deaths have occurred due to those fires.
They also confirmed that 9% of fires started by accident were caused by a cigarette. However, over half the deaths caused by fire in the home can be attributed to smoking. Those are shocking figures, and ones that show only too well how dangerous smoking can be to your health – and not just because of the nicotine and tobacco involved.
It should be no surprise then to realise the fire brigade is also supporting the safe use of electronic cigarettes. They’re officially backing Stoptober and the support PHE is giving to those who are switching to vaping to help them quit tobacco for good.
The London Fire Brigade did take the opportunity to pass along some common-sense tips for staying even safer when vaping. You should only charge your vaping device when you are home to monitor it, and only with the charger designed to be used with it.
Are you taking part in Stoptober with the help of e-cigs? Let us know your thoughts on the points above, and those stark statistics relating to fires, too.
