Boy saved family using fire advice

Jan 31 2013

A teenager saved his younger sister from a house blaze thanks to fire advice he learned at Scouts.

When a kitchen appliance caught fire, Timothy Jackson from Glasgow took his sister Olivia from their home in Govan, shut all the doors behind him to contain the flames and called 999.

Timothy, 13, has been honoured for putting into practice the instructions firefighters gave his Scout troupe just a fortnight before the fire in November 2011.

Strathclyde Fire and Rescue said his level-headedness allowed his family vital time to escape and also protected much of their home from smoke and flames.

Chief Officer Brian Sweeney issued a certificate of congratulations, which Timothy collected from the same Govan community fire station crew that responded to his emergency call.

Station commander John McKenna said: "People often panic when a fire occurs. Timothy didn't. He got himself and his family to safety and protected their home by following the fire action plan his Scout group had learned.

"Many people would have dismissed that knowledge but Timothy retained it. When it was needed he put it to good use and reduced the risk of fire spreading throughout the house.The fire service calls on members of the public to be active citizens and take on responsibility for their own safety and that of others. That is clearly what Timothy did."

Timothy said: "My first thought was just that we needed to get out the house and call the fire brigade.

"I knew not to panic and to shut the doors behind us because that's what the firefighters told my Scout group. I'm not sure I'd have done that if it wasn't for the fire action plan we learned."

His dad Gordon said: "Timothy's mum, sister and I are very proud of him, and we are very grateful to the firefighters who responded that night and saved our home."