West Yorkshire Fire Service is looking for sponsorship from local businesses to boost its smoke alarm safety campaign.

The brigade will spend £65,000 buying and maintaining an additional 24,000 domestic alarms during 1999/2000.

With smoke alarm ownership in the Bradford district around 50 per cent below the national average, safety officers are anxious to double that figure.

It is hoped a series of sponsorship deals with local businesses and community organisations will generate the extra cash.

Jack Womersley, community fire safety officer for the Bradford district, said: "We've got 300 vehicles operating in West Yorkshire. It costs about £1,000 to put a message on the door of a fire engine for a year. But we would welcome sponsorship of the whole fleet."

Recent sponsorship deals include a £200 pledge by Ciba Speciality Chemicals towards the Firestarter safety campaign; £1,500 from Royds Community Association to buy 300 smoke alarms and sponsorship of 100 smoke alarms from the Bradford and Bingley.

Talks are under way with Bradford Bulls about a possible sponsorship of fire engines, he said.

Such a deal would mirror that of Bradford-based manufacturer Coral Windows, which paid £45,000 earlier this year to have its name on police vehicles.

Some rank and file officers claim the sponsorship has damaged the force's integrity and made officers a laughing stock.

But Mr Womersley said: "I can't understand what those police officers are moaning about. If a company is helping to cut crime by offering sponsorship what's the problem?"

The national average for smoke alarm ownership is 82 per cent, and although some areas, such as Baildon, are approaching that figure, the rest of the district is hovering around the 30 per cent mark.

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