Kiwi Statistics

[FlyingKiwi]

N A T I O N A L N E W S S T O R Y
Drunken cooking recipe for disaster
26 November 2002

Cooking while drunk contributed to a sudden rise in house fire fatalities last year, the Fire Commission says in its annual report.

There were 26 deaths in residential fires in 2001-02, up from 16 the
previous year, and bringing an abrupt end to four successive years of
falling fatalities.

"Two causes were identified as being more prevalent than in previous
years," commission chairwoman Dame Margaret Bazley told Internal Affairs Minister George Hawkins.

cooking while intoxicated;

improper use of candles in households disconnected from the electricity supply.

The Fire Service responded with a hard-hitting television campaign about cooking while drunk.

Printed material was prepared for power companies to give to households being disconnected from the electricity.

Despite the upturn in deaths, figures showed New Zealand remained close to the world's lowest in preventable fire deaths.

Over the past three years New Zealand had 0.65 preventable fire deaths per 100,000 people.

For Australia the figure was 0.75; the United Kingdom 0.85; Queensland
0.90; New South Wales 0.90; and Scotland 1.40.

While 86 percent of New Zealand homes now had smoke alarms installed,
anecdotal evidence indicated less than 50 percent of smoke alarms were
operative at any one time.

[jaybird210]

Yeah, but I'll bet those folks in Mayfield could have 2,4, even 6 beers and still make a mean racoon pie!

[FlyingKiwi]

We do not care how many Drunks you have Drinked, you are not driving that truck down here.

And we have Possum Pie in this part of the world, they can be seen in the trees hanging upside down, NO, wait, that would make them right way up for you.

As for the 50% smoke alarms not working, here is a "No Brainer" for you. While at my sisters house she asked me to check the detectors batteries as her husband had changed them a few months back.

Now this guy is not the brightest budgie in the cage when it comes to anything involving thought.

I casually pointed out to him that 9 volt batteries will not work if you don't take the plastic wrapper off before installing them.

We do run a national TV campaign advising everyone to change batteries with the start and end of daylight saving.