Scotland's fire services have had to scrap hundred of leaflets, after a mistake urged members of the public to jump on a donkey when fleeing a house fire. The leaflet by the Scottish Executive for the fire and rescue services was aimed at Urdu readers, and the advice was that anyone leaving a burning building from a window should lower themselves on to cushions. However, the authors got the Urdu word for cushion mixed up with another very similar Urdu word for donkey. A spokesman for Strathclyde Fire and Rescue Service said it was grateful that the mistake has been brought to their attention. The leaflet has since been withdrawn and reprinted.
Last month saw the biggest changes for decades in fire safety laws in England, Wales and Scotland. The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order SI 2005/1541 and the Fire Safety (Scotland) Regulations SSI 2006/456, which is made in accordance with the Fire (Scotland) Act 2005, aim to reform fire safety law in non-domestic premises and place various responsibilities on employers with regard to providing a stable environment for their employees.
