Jersey Electricity technicians dealt with a record number of electric blankets on the first morning of the annual two-day free safety check at Western Fire Station this morning. Between 9am and lunchtime members of the public brought in over 50 blankets to be examined and tested and one in four were condemned as unsafe and withdrawn from service to be disposed of.
Community Fire Safety Officer John Lloyd with the pile of blankets that had already been condemned on the first morning of testing
Jersey Electricity technicians dealt with a record number of electric blankets on the first morning of the annual two-day free safety check at Western Fire Station this morning. Between 9am and lunchtime members of the public brought in over 50 blankets to be examined and tested and one in four were condemned as unsafe and withdrawn from service to be disposed of.
Jon Sylvester, one two JEBS (JE Building Services) Electricians carrying out the tests said: ‘I’ve been doing this for several years and this is the busiest morning I can recall. One man brought in three practically new blankets but they had been folded in storage for three years and the wires inside had become all bent so we had no alternative but to condemn them. I felt sorry for him but he fully understood.’
Community Fire Safety Office John Lloyd is also on hand to give advice and said that faulty or misuse of electrical appliances was the second most common cause of house fires and that it was a mistake to fold electric blankets when not is use.
Last year 140 electric blankets were brought in for testing over the two days and 31 were withdrawn from service. Members of JE’s Customer Care Team and JEBS Technicians will be on hand again tomorrow, Thursday 12 October, from 9am to 3pm to continue the testing. Anyone whose blanket is withdrawn will be given a voucher that can be redeemed for a new blanket with a 10% discount at the Powerhouse.
