Jill Halfpenny Launches New Hard-Hitting 'Fire Kills' Awareness Campaign

New Advert Shows How Just 2-3 Breaths Of Toxic Smoke Can Knock A Person Unconscious And Kill A Child In Under A Minute

Actress and mother Jill Halfpenny launches a dramatic government campaign that highlights the danger of toxic smoke from house fires and urges the public to test their smoke alarm weekly. Statistics show that there were 35,000 accidental house fires, 7,100 injuries (19 a day) and 200 deaths in England in 2007.

The ‘Don’t Drown in Toxic Smoke’ advertising campaign dramatically shows how quickly toxic smoke can impact on the human body. A sleeping couple are shown being overcome by the drowning sensation of toxic smoke when a fire breaks out in their home at night.

Key Findings From The Research:

almost half (43%) believe they could survive for more than two minutes in a smoke filled room

nearly half (48%) think they would be alerted to a fire by the smell of the smoke

almost a fifth (18%) believe a pet (e.g. their dog barking), or someone else would alert them to a house fire

See the full advert and Jill Halfpenny recreate an escape attempt from a simulated house fire here.

For more information about fire safety, visit www.direct.gov.uk/firekills