Public urged to follow Get Out, Stay Out advice after staff shares real-life story

One of our members of staff, Jessica Labhart, has spoken out on the dangers of returning to the scene of a fire after she went back into her family home during a blaze in order to try and save her valuables.

Jessica, who did not work for the fire service at the time, mistakenly believed she could tackle the fire herself, and after her actions lead to the rapid spread of the flames, she is advising others to make sure they Get Out and Stay Out of house fires as part of our latest campaign.

Jessica, who was on holiday from university at the time, had been sleeping at home when she woke up to find her bed on fire.

Her electric blanket had malfunctioned and flames were crackling by her head. The plug had melted into the extension cord.

Thankfully, she was able to raise the alarm and ensure her younger sister got out of the house before calling the fire service.

However, Jessica was so worried about her belongings, including her laptop containing her dissertation, that she thought she should tackle the fire herself, to try and minimise damage.

“It wasn’t a big fire at that point,” she said, “So I went back in and thought, I’ll just see if I can quell the flames myself first.”

Jessica wet a towel and put it on top of the burning blanket but it actually caused the fire to spread suddenly and rapidly, from the bed, up the curtains.

Her sister, who was stood outside on the driveway, barefoot and in her pyjamas, recalled how she was looking up at the first floor window and saw the fire expand.

“I thought the windows were going to blow out,” she said.

Even then, Jessica frantically scrambled to grab some of her possessions, including her laptop and passport, before running outside.

A neighbour, who had realised what had happened, came over to check on the girls and realised all the doors in the house had been left open.

“She ran in and closed all the doors for us,” Jessica said, “Which, although was well-intentioned, put her life at risk too.”

Since working for Staffordshire Fire and Rescue Service, Jessica has realised how dangerous her actions were.

“Anything could have happened,” she said, “I could have become trapped, I could have been overcome by the smoke, there could have been sudden structural damage that could have prevented me leaving.

“Ultimately, I put myself in harms’ way for possessions that were easily replaceable, not realising that my life was the most valuable thing I had.”

Head of Prevent, Protect and Partnerships, Ian Read, said: “Jessica was extremely lucky to come away unharmed, unfortunately a lot of people aren’t that lucky. We know it can be tempting to stay in your property when there is a fire, because you feel like you can tackle it yourself but it’s really not worth the risk.

“There’s a reason we have firefighters, fire is very volatile and it won’t always react the way you expect it too, also just three breaths of toxic smoke can be fatal. That is why our firefighters go through endless hours of training, wear breathing apparatus and have specialist equipment to safely tackle fires.  

“Instead of thinking of your belongings, think about the importance of your life. Your things are replaceable, you are not.”

We are reminding people of the importance of protecting yourselves and others during a fire as part of our Get Out, Stay Out campaign.

The campaign, which launches on 28 February, focuses on what you should do when you encounter a fire, including:

• Planning and confirming an escape route
• Making sure your smoke detectors are in good working order
• Communicating with the fire service as soon as possible
• Leaving the area to a place of safety
• Making sure your house and contents insurance is up-to-date.

To find out more about the campaign and how you can stay safe from fire in the home, visit: Get Out Stay Out