A massive safety campaign by Keighley firefighters has helped slash the number of call-outs. The town's brigade last year turned out 1,246 times, a drop of almost 250 on the previous 12 months. The number of malicious calls also fell, from 210 to 131.

Keighley firefighters are currently visiting every address in the district advising householders on home safety and fitting smoke detectors. And schools are being targeted in a bid to put across the message to children.

Firefighter Joe O'Keeffe told us: "Until recent years the number of fires was rising, so we are pleased the trend now appears to have been reversed. Our community education campaign is going well and seems to be having an impact.

"We have been highlighting to school children the dangers of making false calls. While we are delighted the number of malicious call-outs is dropping, it is still too many."

Our aim is a zero figure.

"The response on the door-to-door campaign has been excellent. We are covering the whole of Keighley, and it is our intention that every household should have a smoke alarm."

County-wide, around 18,000 smoke detectors were fitted by the fire service last year.

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