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Latest Incidents

25th November, 2023 - 6.44pm: Crews have tackled a blaze involving a canal boat on the water off Lon...Read more

25th November, 2023 - 15:14: Our crews from Poole fire station attended reports of two people trapp...Read more

25th November, 2023 - 10:00am: Our crews from Bridport, Beaminster and Lyme Regis raced to reports of...Read more

23rd November, 2023 - 08.17: Four fire crews attended a house fire in central Bournemouth this morn...Read more

Boat safety

Boat safety is a priority in Dorset and Wiltshire, as hundreds of people live and work on our waterways, in addition to the thousands of visitors who come each year to enjoy a peaceful holiday in our seaside towns or aboard a narrowboat.

The dangers

In the past 20 years, national figures show that more than 60 boaters have been killed as a result of a boat fire or carbon monoxide incident. CO poisoning is most likely to be caused by the exhaust emissions of portable generators, or problems with solid fuel stoves including flue pipes. Click here for a useful advice leaflet.

Although boat fires on inland waters are less common than fires on land, when they do occur, they can have devastating consequences. Boats are often in remote locations with difficult access, which may result in firefighters taking longer to arrive at an incident and allowing a fire to totally destroy a boat and everything on-board.

Top tips

Free safety advice

People who live and work on the Kennet & Avon Canal can access free boat safety packs. These can be collected from wharfs and marinas along the canal, by calling 0800 038 2323, or visiting one of the following fire stations:

Our Safe & Well visits also include people who live on boats – click here to request a visit.

See also:

The Fire Kills campaign has produced a handy leaflet on Boat Safety

For further information about general boat fire and CO safety, visit www.boatsafetyscheme.org/stay-safe

For broader safety advice, visit the Maritime & Coastguard Agency website www.gov.uk/government/organisations/maritime-and-coastguard-agency and the Royal National Lifeboat Institution www.rnli.org

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