VIDEO: Fryslân fire brigade with brochures about the campsite

DAMWALD – Mobile phones, laptops, e-bikes, but also curling irons and fans. We are taking more and more electrical equipment to the campsite, but there is a danger in that. The Fryslân fire brigade is busy with a brochure campaign at campsites and in marinas. Richard Bouma of the fire brigade believes it is important that the theme of fire safety is brought to the attention of holidaymakers more and more often. That is why he regularly walks with a stack of brochures about a campsite or through a marina. Every now and then, when holidaymakers ask, he checks in campers or caravans to make sure everything is in order.

Bouma regularly sees things go wrong. “We recommend installing both a CO detector (carbon monoxide) and a smoke detector. And the first is very often missing. You will not always find the smoke detector either. Look, you can’t always prevent a fire, no matter what you do. But by having the detectors in order, you can at least be alerted and intervene if necessary.”

According to the fire brigade, what should you always take with you on holiday with the camper or to the campsite?

A smoke detector
A carbon monoxide detector
A fire extinguisher
A first aid kit

During a tour of camping Botniahiem in Damwâld, Bouma is allowed to take a look inside the caravan of an elderly couple from Brabant. He immediately points to a loose battery of an electric scooter on the charger. “Many people use the same electronics on holiday as they do at home, for example a curling iron or a fan. But if your battery is not designed for that, it can break.” “In the worst case, a toxic gas can be released,” explains Bouma. “We saw the consequences two years ago in Bolsward. There, two people died on their boat when gas was released.”

Smoke and carbon detectors

There is no CO detector on the ceiling of the caravan, but there is a smoke detector. “Unfortunately, the thing has been there for a while,” says the firefighter. “Because the battery is empty. The light is no longer on and the test sound does not work either.” “It’s not unwillingness, you know, in people,” says Bouma about the dangerous things he sometimes encounters. “People often tell us how well they have it together at home, in terms of smoke detectors and the like. But they just forget that it is also very important on vacation. People are often of good will and with my visits I try to give them that push. Because in the end they don’t do it for me, but for themselves.”

Author: Editors RTV NOF