London Firefighters Say Vaping Is the Safer Alternative to Smoking

For the month of “Stoptober”, the London Fire Brigade has joined forces with Public Health England in encouraging vaping with e-cigs over smoking tobacco. They take this stand because it is quite clear that electronic cigarettes are simply not the fire hazard tobacco cigs have always been.

The firefighters point out that this is not just an opinion. It’s a fact that’s backed up by solid statistics. People who quit using combustible tobacco products enjoy greater life expectancy, not only because of improved cardiovascular health, but also because they greatly reduce their risk of being consumed in a house fire.

The Fire Brigade is so sure of their decision to back e-cigs that they made a very pro-active post on their Facebook page. They declared that electronic cigarettes greatly reduce fire risk.

The post said that evidence of this statement can be found in a recent report of fire deaths in the month of September. The findings of this report were that, even though the ratio of smokers to vapers is 4-1, there are 225 times more tobacco related fires than e-cig related fires. The report also noted that the vast majority of house fires are started in the bedroom or the living room.

On London Fire Brigade’s website, their Assistant Commissioner for Fire Safety, Dan Daly, said that the statistics are absolutely astonishing. He said that they indicate that over the last three years more than 3500 fires have been caused by smoking, but only fifteen have been caused by electronic cigarettes.

He explained that the firefighters have had to put out multiple fires caused by improperly disposed-of tobacco cigarettes. He reiterated the assertion the Fire Brigade had made on its Facebook page by pointing out that stopping smoking can save your life in terms of improved overall health and prevention of the possibility of a devastating house fire.

Assistant Commissioner Daly went on to explain that smoking causes about nine percent of accidental fires, but it causes more than fifty percent of fire deaths. This is a particularly alarming statistic because the number of smokers in London has been steadily declining for the past 5 years. In 2012, 18.2% of Londoners smoked. The most recent figure stands at 15.2%.

Flaming Electronic Cigarettes Have Never Killed Anyone

On its website, the London Fire Brigade reported that there have never been any recorded injuries or deaths caused by e-cigs or other vaping equipment going up in flames. They cautioned that any electric or electronic device carries some risk of fire, and advised vapers to exercise sensible precautions, such as using the right charger when recharging and monitoring the device during charging.

The authority posted a Facebook notice thanking the Fire Brigade for its support of electronic cigarettes as a means of reducing tobacco related fire deaths. The post also reminded readers of Public Health England’s month-long, stop-smoking campaign.