There have been many blog posts, articles, news items and reports about how scientists and health organisations, including Public Health England, support vaping as a valid alternative to smoking. Few will expect to hear firefighters also add their voice to this approval however the London Fire Brigade have done just that and we expect the majority of firefighters support vaping.
Why Do Firefighters Support Vaping
Did you know that you are more than 260 times more likely to be in a fire if you are a tobacco cigarette smoker? That’s a heck of a risk factor. The London Fire Brigade released figures late in 2018 showing just that and backed this up with the information that between 2014 and 2018 they have dealt with over 6000 fires that have been caused directly by smoking, a discarded cigarette or smoking paraphernalia.
The number of vaping-related incidents during the same period is recorded as being just 22. Tobacco cigarettes have maintained their spot at the top of the list for causing death due to fire. Smoking is also in the top three of the causes of domestic fires. These are frightening statistics.
It is clear to see how, from a safety point of view, that vaping is considerably less likely to cause a fire and this is partly why firefighters support vaping.
Why Are Tobacco Cigarettes So Dangerous
Outside of the long list of ways that smoking harms your health, the health of those around you, adds extra pressure to the NHS and the environment, smoking is dangerous because it causes fires. A tobacco cigarette must be lit with a match or a lighter in order to burn. Anything that burns pose a risk of fire.
Cigarettes continue to burn when dropped until burnt through and easily cause fires. Cigarettes have caused fires in many ways, from people falling asleep when smoking, a red hot tip falling off onto something that will easily catch fire and more.
E cigarettes, however, are not combustibles and work a different way. A battery heats flavoured e liquid to produce a vapour that is inhaled. Nothing is burnt. There is no flame and there is no smoke. E cigarettes are easily locked, don’t keep heating after you stop inhaling or pressing a button and e liquids are not volatile.
Firefighters Support Vaping
Public Health England, the NHS and numerous health charities all point smokers towards vaping in order to help them switch to an alternative that is at least 95% less harmful compared to smoking, for health reasons. Firefighters hope smokers will turn to vaping or give up altogether to avoid fires caused by smoking. The cost of these fires, the danger to firefighters, those living in and around the home and to property itself is vast. One death due to a fire is too many.
With so many deaths, injuries and trauma that could have been avoided if smoking wasn’t present, it’s no wonder that so many, including LFB and other firefighters prefer vaping over smoking if the smoker doesn’t want to quit or feels they can’t quit without a valid alternative. Here’s hoping that the more people move to vaping, the fewer reports of smoking-related fires will exist!