insideKENT Magazine Issue 71 - February 2018 | Page 136

BUSINESS
KENT FIRE AND RESCUE SERVICE
SHOW YOU CARE
CHERYL BAKER’S TEAMED UP
WITH KENT FIRE AND RESCUE
SERVICE (KFRS) TO ENCOURAGE
PEOPLE ACROSS THE COUNTY
TO THINK ABOUT PEOPLE WHO
LIVE ALONE OR IN ISOLATION,
OR SOMEONE WHO MIGHT
NEED A BIT OF EXTRA SUPPORT
LIKE THE ELDERLY, YOUNG MUMS
AND PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES.
THE ‘SHOW YOU CARE’
CAMPAIGN IS ABOUT KEEPING
PEOPLE SAFE AND WELL AND
REDUCING THEIR RISK FROM
FIRE. WE HAD A CHAT WITH
CHERYL TO FIND OUT MORE.
Hi Cheryl. Why are you working with Kent
Fire and Rescue Service?
I’m delighted to be working with the team at
KFRS – my local fire service – for something
so important. I didn’t realise their work was so
diverse and involves a lot more than putting
out fires and rescuing people. They really care
about people in our lovely county through
their ‘Safe and Well Visits’ and the support they
give to people when they most need it.
What is ‘Show you Care’ all about?
It’s so community spirited and uplifting; a very
positive start to the year. We’re all connected
through our communities in some way to
someone who might be living in isolation,
someone who has become less mobile, or
even a young mum or dad who has recently
arrived home with their newborn baby that
needs a little support. It’s important to try and
do what we can to make people feel valued
and cared for. I’m lucky I have a supportive
family network and we all look after each other,
but imagine being on your own with nobody
looking out for you? This campaign is about
asking people to get involved and help others.
Why is it important to get involved?
I’m amazed that in Kent and Medway there
are more than 40,000 people over 65 years
old living in isolation and alone. With this
campaign we can all do something about it.
We can help people feel secure, safe and cared
for. I really think we all have a responsibility
and a social duty to make sure that nobody
feels alone. A simple weekly visit could mean
the world to them and make them feel less
isolated and less forgotten. That figure is an
estimate too, and only the over 65s, so the
actual figure will be a lot higher than that,
which is astonishing.
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Tell us about the ‘Simple STEPS’ to staying
safe and well?
KFRS have developed five simple steps that
every one of us can do when we visit our
neighbour, friend or relative. It’s about safety
– looking out for the things that can lead to a
fire in the home such as making sure there
are no overloaded sockets; checking the
smoke alarm is working, or fitting new
batteries; and making sure the kitchen is clean,
which is where a lot of fires begin – all simple
common sense stuff. Essentially, it’s to help
make people feel safe.
How can people be part of this?
We want people to think about someone they
know who would really benefit from seeing a
friendly face, make time for them and perhaps
pop in for a cuppa. Please, if you know
someone who might be vulnerable, don’t just
sit back and think ‘someone else will do it’,
make sure they’re ok. It could be someone
who is living with dementia or has mental
health challenges, so stop and think how you
can help because we all can – it’s just about
asking and showing you care.
Kent Fire & Rescue Service
01622 692121
www.kent.fire-uk.org/show-you-care
kentfirerescue
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