FIREFIGHTERS are carrying out daily visits to homes in Teesside as part of a safety campaign.
Home safety fire checks are being set up through a telephone contact centre and through referrals from partners in other organisations.
Firefighters offer advice and will supply and fit smoke detectors if necessary.
People in Hartlepool, Redcar and Cleveland, Middlesbrough and Stockton can request a visit through their local fire station.
Middlesbrough borough councillor Hazel Pearson, who is also a member of Cleveland Fire Authority, is one of more than 7,000 residents to benefit from a check.
She said: ""When people are aware of the risks of fire in their home, and take steps to prevent a fire happening, it helps the brigade's aim of reducing the number of fires and, ultimately, the number of people who are injured in fires in the home."
Mark Whelan, director of operations and community fire safety with Cleveland Fire Brigade, said: "Community education is a big part of a firefighter's job. The fire service has moved into a new era of prevention."
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