the causeway coast news 20150918 issue2
DESCRIPTION
Inside This Week: Community Split on Refugees / Human Trafficking Penalties / Stormont / Fire Safety for Freshers / Simply ScrumptiousTRANSCRIPT
From mainstream media headlines being
placed on repeat and the resulting pro‐
paganda overlowing into social media,
the thoughts and feelings of some of the
Causeway Coast and Glens Community
have shited away from pity and empathy
to a drastic stance of fear, suspicion and
judgement. A simple post asking for
items to take to a collection point has
been met with a lurry of activity with
polarizing viewpoints being aired across
our readership. Coleraine SDLP Coun‐
cillor Stephanie Quigley has shown her
hand this week in a headline grabbing
move stating that 'We'll take 50 families',
this bold stance has garnered response
and reactions from all sides of the com‐
munity including a previous political
refugee who has went on record as stat‐
ing that "this community is not ready for
anymore immigrants or refugees because
it is barely able to look ater itself with
it's existing infrastructure and cutbacks."
he view comes from a lengthy experi‐
ence of working with ethnic minorities
who are the exact opposite of what the
headlines scream and shout about. he
reality regarding coming over here and
claiming beneits and taking our jobs ac‐
tually ends up on the inevitable conclu‐
sion of exploitation. here is an air of
racism in the area with graffiti and tar‐
geted attacks on ethnic minorities simply
because of how they look, speak or inter‐
act with the community, do we really
have the ability to "take 50 families"?
Community Split on Syrian Refugee Crisis
out every weekend Issue 002 - 18/09/15
Who is my Neighbour ?
Inside his Week: Community Split on Refugees / Human Trafficking Penalties / Stormont / Fire Safety for Freshers / Simply Scrumptious
Bringing you News from Ballymoney, Coleraine, Limavady and Moyle
2 he Causeway Coast News
Niamh and Amelia Hughes from Portstewart are pictured enjoying Translink’s
recent ‘Happy Metro Saturday’ festivities in Belfast at a special bus stop party.
SIMPLY SCRUMPTIOUS, PORTSTEWART
I'm not a huge fan of pink, but the Musi‐
cal numer 'Truly, scrumptious' was stuck
playing in my head so I decied to give it
a go.I was very pleasantly surprised by
the interior and service that we received.
he hot chocolate was made with the
same eager determination as any Barista
would place in crating a coffee. he
menu is quite limited but there is ample
choice and the bakery was homemade
and cooked to perfection, Coffee was
nice with a fresh strong lavour not too
much but enough to give you a kick to
brave the walk down the promenade to
the car park.
Interior also very good. Staff very
friendly and couldn't have been more
helpful, Exceptionally clean and tidy I
would call in again.
As a special offer from until 19th
September
.Gel extensions or acrylics £10
Full make up £8
Full Tan £5
Eyebrow tint and individual eyelashes
£10
Gel polish on ingers and toes £8
L a d i e s r e m e m b e r t o p m o n
facebook.com to get appointment am
above gingersnips hairdressers coleraine
society street.you couldn't miss out on
these deals ladies.
Divine Beauty N.I Opens
Have a treat on Main street
3he Causeway Coast News
www.chromoz.com
Nearly 1,000 users identiied locally from Ashley Madison data dump by he TIMES newspaper.
According to he Times Newspaper
nearly 1,000 users have been conirmed
in the area as being registered on the
hacked Ashley Madison site data dump.
with 500 in the town of Coleraine, alone!
But before you go getting all best friends
with your nearest geek to name and
shame whoever you could think of per‐
hap your spouses or signiicant others, or
your bosses or colleagues or other people
who you may want to know is "trustwor‐
thy" - here is a bit of technical involve‐
ment but it is possible to search online
for evidence that a person may have
been using the website Ashley Madison.
Some users of that site may have been
hypothetically considering possibly hav‐
ing an extramarital or otherwise illicit
affair, though the mere fact of a person
being registered with the site does not, of
course, indicate any such thing.A valid
point raised by a reader this week: David
Peacock "Does the public not have a
right to a private and family life? Article
8 of the human rights act.I've no idea,
I'm guessing they published a quote or a
set of igures handed to them on a plate?
I'm not a journalist or computer expert..
But trusting the stolen account stats pro‐
vided by hackers, from an adult site that
has been shown to have fake 'bot' ac‐
counts.. Combined with an obvious de‐
sire of 'real' users to remain anonymous
+ a few other motives to use fake start up
emails etc details.. All add up to an un‐
trustworthy story that has little 'news'
merit and has potential to contravene
the HRA.. What next?.. Taking photos of
adults entering bars without partners
and leaving with one, in the off chance
on of them might be married?
Clare Kane brought a female perspective
to the discussion with: "maybe you mis‐
understand the aim of the site, its specii‐
cally for people who want to have affairs,
so if someone is registered on it then
they will almost certainly have a few
questions to answer with their partners.
he bots you mention, the company ad‐
mitted, were 'female' designed to attract
male users and string them along so the
majority of males registered have suspect
intentions to say the least...
As we are seeking to inform all of my
many readers we have now researched
this matter and discussed with our tech‐
nical counterparts and have compiled
some authoritative and genuine advice
for anyone who might be thinking of
"having a wee nosey" for the data leaked
from the site. Here are the points we
would ask you to consider before taking
such a step.
1. Your Computer is pretty much guaranteed to get Infected With A Virus If You go for a snoop.
I know, I know, it's not fair but this is an
unfortunate, but true, fact. Most websites
purporting to have the Ashley Madison
data available for download or search are
in fact fakes set up by cyber criminals.
Simply clicking through to such a site
from a Google search is nearly certain to
set you up for an infection on your com‐
puter with serious malware that wants to
do more than snoop on your facebook
holiday albums.
2. his Poisioned Chalice of Data Could Add Your Name To A List Of Likely Ashley Madison Users
Y'know like a register you really don't
want to part of, Large numbers of un‐
scrupulous companies are offering web‐
pages or sites which they say will allow
you to search safely through the leaked
Ashley Madison data. But they them‐
selves are waiting to hack you for all they
can get and will log your details as you
use their service, and put these details on
a list, which of course can then in turn
appear on the internet and so the cycle
continues.
his would then ultimately end up with
curious people looking for these 'lists' for
naming and shaming and will see you on
that list and simply assume you were
checking whether your details were on
Ashley Madison. Even if a search service
appears to take no personal details from
you, it will almost certainly will be. his
will inevitably reveal you to the world as
a guilty Ashley Madison user even if you
had never even heard of the website be‐
fore the recent media irestorm.
3. he Mere Fact hat Someone's Details Are In he Ashley Madison Data Means Absolutely Nothing At All
he fact of the matter is that the vast ma‐
jority of people whose details were held
by Ashley Madison had absolutely no in‐
tention whatever of having any sort of il‐
licit affair. Many proiles were created us‐
ing people's details - for instance their
names, photographs nude and/or
dressed, email addresses etc - without
their knowledge by other persons for a
huge variety of reasons.
hese things are easily harvested from
the internet. Even where someone's
credit card details are found in the Ash‐
ley Madison data, in almost all cases
those card numbers will have been stolen
by criminals - perhaps by hacking a
completely legitimate online store or
other website - and used fraudulently
without the owner's knowledge.
Even where this has not occurred and
someone appears to have really regis‐
tered with the site of their own volition,
again this means nothing. Most Ashley
Madison users were motivated by inno‐
cent curiosity: and in many cases they
may have had no interest in having an
affair but instead bona-ide work reasons
to be registered with the site.
his is especially true of journalists, the
vast majority of whom were registered
with the site in order to do essential re‐
search into prospective articles on web
security.
It's important to be aware that such in‐
vestigative news articles oten take a long
time to prepare, not just a case of copy
and paste.
To Love, Honour and Deny?
4 he Causeway Coast News
Photo Credit:Steve Lav: www.lickr.com/photos/stevelav/3338838252/
Claire Sugden MLA
https://www.facebook.com/ClaireSug‐
denMLA
On Monday 14th September 2015, I suc‐
cessfully tabled a Matter of the Day con‐
cerning the future of the NI political Insti‐
tutions.
"Mr Speaker,hank you for the opportu‐
nity to speak on this matter.
I will begin by saying how privileged I
feel to stand here and represent East
Londonderry in the Northern Ireland
Assembly. While we now ind ourselves
in exceptional circumstances I will con‐
tinue to do the job I was entrusted with,
while I can. 100 000 constituents expect
me to represent them in this House.his
House is cards is falling Mr Speaker. he
only good that will come out of this is if
the jokers at the top coming crashing
down too and do not get up again. I am
concerned because we have so much to
lose. Not just the message that Northern
Ireland has failed, but the prospect of be‐
ing governed by people who don't know
us; understandably are fed up with us
and won't ight for the people or sell our
country for the potential it has like we
can.Events that unfolded on hursday
make me very sad.My constituent, Mr
Watton and I know he won't mind me
saying his name, has been waiting for a
disabled parking bay for over six
months. Mr Watton is very ill, it takes
him all strength to walk several feet and
he is certainly entitled to this space. He
is entitled to a public service that will
make his life a little bit easier while he
focuses his strength on his day to day
struggles. He won't get his disabled park‐
ing bay, because the Minister and then
the Committee need to sign it off. he
irst one doesn't exist.Mr Watton is only
a small piece of the puzzle of Northern
Ireland. he bigger picture is ruined,
however, when one piece is missing. he
collapse of our institutions are being felt
from the people up while politics is be‐
ing played badly from the top down.he
events that have unfolded since the death
of Mr McGuigan are really quite unbe‐
lievable. A lot of big decisions have been
made on 'what if?'. It goes further in my
belief that many who sit in this House
are not it for the job. Yes, I appreciate
you were given a mandate, but I really
don't think the people expected this
nonsense when they trusted you with
their vote.My interpretation of what is
really happening here is delection and
election. Mr Speaker there are people
bleeding this country dry and the cur‐
rent events are providing a very conve‐
nient smoke screen. I see it in my own
constituency. Our drug problem is oten
hidden by the contentious issues. But Mr
Speaker these people will be caught and I
look forward to the day, because the peo‐
ple of Northern Ireland deserve better
and I trust they will realise this come
next election.Whether in a month or
May next year we have an election. Mr
Speaker there is nothing wrong with
electioneering. But electioneering should
begin the day ater you are elected to
earn the Mandate you were given, not in
panic to get one over on your
competitor. As an Independent, I proba‐
bly have more than most to lose in an
early election, but it's not about me, it's
about the people I represent. If losing my
seat and never speaking a word in this
Chamber again means that we will move
forward positively, then by all means,
bring it on.But it won't. I believe that
Northern Ireland will only truly move on
when those people involved in the Trou‐
bles are no longer in politics. For the
good of the people you claim to repre‐
sent, move on, step aside if you will and
encourage, young politicians like Gary
Middleton, Steven Agnew, Chris Lyttle,
Claire Hanna, Megan Fearon, Sandra
Overend and me to be the future so that
Northern Ireland and these institutions
have a chance.hank you Mr Speaker."
Is Stormont just a House of Cards full of Jokers?
5he Causeway Coast News
PUBLIC NOTICE
Causeway Coast and Glens Borough
Council invites applications from com‐
munity and voluntary organisations for
the following Community Grant Pro‐
grammes:
BUILDING A UNITED COMMUNITY
FUND
he fund replaces previous Good Rela‐
tions Grants Programmes that were sup‐
ported by the four Legacy Councils and
has been designed to support, promote
and develop Good Relations projects
within the Causeway Coast and Glens
Borough Council area. For details, con‐
tact Causeway Coast and Glens Borough
Council's Ballycastle Office on (028)
2076 2225 or email lisa.harris@cause‐
waycoastandglens.gov.uk.
SOCIAL INCLUSION FUND
he fund is open to community organi‐
sations who provide community activi‐
ties and services for local communities
within the Causeway Coast and Glens
Borough Council area. For details, con‐
tact Causeway Coast and Glens Borough
Council's Coleraine Office on (028) 7034
7032 or emailzara.curry@causewaycoas‐
tandglens.gov.uk
Both funds open on Wednesday 12th
August 2015. he deadline for submis‐
sions is 21st September 2015 at 4pm.
Organisations interested in submitting
an application are invited to a Grants In‐
formation Roadshow, where Council
staff will be available to answer queries at
Ballymoney Town Hall on hursday
27th August from 7.00pm.
Application Forms and Guidance Notes
for both funds are also available on the
Causeway Coast and Glens Borough
Council website
FREE DANDER BALL, MEAL and HEALTH CHECK Part of Positive Ageing
month, October. Open to men aged 50+ from Neighbourhood Renewal Areas of
Coleraine. Wed 14th October, 2pm, at SCORE. Take a dander down.
he Angel Of Hope Memorial Garden
which has been recently opened in Col‐
eraine has been badly vandalised and is
becoming a 'hot spot' for under age
drinking and was also used by a Bridal
Party for wedding photos that has let
many visibly upset. Andrea McAleese
one the founders of the project has been
inundated on social media with reports
ranging from doing no harm to doing no
good."Hi it has been brought to my at‐
tention that the garden was used at the
weekend by a bridal party taking pho‐
tographs . he garden is private and
owned and managed by the Angel of
hope Company and committee the gar‐
den is not allowed to be used for adver‐
tising or wedding photos without the
prior consent of the above named . he
bridal party where sitting on top of the
raised planter which is a memorial for
babies this is not acceptable and worse
for a parent who may have been visiting
their child's memorial"
No respect given to Sacred Garden
Funding Deadline For Local Groups 21st September 2015
6 he Causeway Coast News
We just want to say a MASSIVE thanks to everyone for helping us celebrate our
wedding day. We had so much fun but we couldn't have done it without the love
and help from everyone. We had the Perfect day and full of memories we'll never
forget. We are so lucky to have family and friends like we do. hank you and see
you all soon! Love Mr and Mrs Kelly.
Poppy Madsen is determined to catch Mr Robin, but in the meantime here's some
one from one of her gardening jobs. A bit random, but Poppy does like frogs
Introducing: Mr & Mrs Kelly
7he Causeway Coast News
Human trafficking and practices such as
slavery and forced labour - so-called
"modern slavery" - are life shattering
crimes that degrade and dehumanise in‐
nocent men, women and children. To
traffickers, victims are not seen in terms
of their humanity, but only in terms of
what proit they can bring as commodi‐
ties. Tackling these offences and the peo‐
ple who perpetrate them is a priority for
me and for my Department.his strategy
includes a rat of challenging and target‐
ed actions that my Department and its
partners are committed to delivering
during 2015/16.
Partnership is a key thread running
through this strategy. We cannot do this
alone. I greatly value the eagerness of our
strategic partners, both statutory and
non-statutory, to work collaboratively in
a joined-up and effective manner. It is
only through working together that we
will be able to bring these crimes out of
Justice Minister, David Ford, has pub‐
lished the irst annual Human Traffick‐
ing and Exploitation Strategy for
Northern Ireland.
Minister Ford said: "Human trafficking
and exploitation are vile crimes which
dehumanise victims. hey have a de‐
structive impact on society in general.
his strategy sets out how my Depart‐
ment intends to work with partners
across Government, law enforcement
and civil society to put an end to modern
slavery and to support victims. he strat‐
egy shows what can be achieved when
we stand together against these evil prac‐
tices. It sends a strong message to traf‐
ickers that Northern Ireland is closed
for business."
A drat version of the strategy, developed
by the Department of Justice (DOJ) was
subject to a 12 week public consultation
and the inal strategy has been amended
to relect a number of suggestions re‐
ceived by respondents to the consulta‐
tion.
he strategy builds on previous Human
Trafficking and Exploitation Action
Plans which have helped to set a clear
strategic direction for the Department of
Justice and its partners. It sets out a chal‐
lenging programme of objectives and ac‐
tions that the Department and its part‐
ners are committed to driving forward
under four strategic priorities: Pursue;
Protect and support; Prevent and; Part‐
nership.
David Ford continued "I believe that this
strategy will facilitate effective investiga‐
tions and prosecutions and will help to
ensure that victims are identiied, pro‐
tected and supported."
Life Sentence for Human Trafficking
8 he Causeway Coast News
Recruitment methods:
he OCTF's strategic proile report
found that the majority of potential vic‐
tims recovered in Northern Ireland were
recruited within their home country.
Around 20 potential victims were re‐
cruited in the United Kingdom or Ire‐
land (either because they were United
Kingdom or Irish nationals, or because
they had previously travelled there of
their own volition).
A number of recruitment methods were
identiied:
• Job advertisements - Around a quarter
(26%) of potential victims indicated that
they had been trafficked ater applying
for what they thought was a legitimate
job.
• Approaches made by individual 're‐
cruiters' - Around 14% of potential vic‐
tims described being approached by in‐
dividuals who promised them work.
• 'Lover boy' - Around 8% of potential
victims described the 'lover boy' ap‐
proach, a recognised method of luring
young girls into sexual exploitation.
• Kidnapped or sold - Around 8% of po‐
tential victims described being kid‐
napped or 'sold' by a family member.
Key vulnerabilities: he strategic proile
report also identiied a range of key fac‐
tors that appear consistently in the case
studies which serve to heighten the vul‐
nerability of the victims.- In several cases
the victim had been orphaned or had
been affected by illness within their fam‐
ily. In these cases, some had been forced
to ind work to support themselves, oth‐
ers had gone to live with family or
friends and had subsequently been
'sold'.- A number of individuals were in
debt in their home country and initially
travelled willingly in the belief that they
were going to be offered legitimate
work.In some cases individuals seeking
work had been targeted outside job cen‐
tres only to ind themselves then com‐
pelled to work against their will.- here
were also a number of cases involving
the internal trafficking of minors for sex‐
ual exploitation, many of whom had
been within the care system.
he Human Trafficking and Exploitation
(Criminal Justice and Support for Vic‐
tims) Act (Northern Ireland) 2015 ("the
2015 Act") was granted Royal Assent on
13 January 2015.
his legislation enhances our capacity to
tackle human trafficking and slavery or
forced labour in Northern Ireland by:
• establishing new offences of human
trafficking and slavery, servitude and
forced or compulsory labour;
• increasing the maximum sentence for
human trafficking and slavery, servitude
and forced or compulsory labour to life
imprisonment;
• introducing a minimum 2 year sen‐
tence for these offences, unless there are
exceptional circumstances to warrant a
lower sentence;
• making it easier to coniscate the assets
of exploiters and to force them to pay
reparation to victims;• criminalising the
purchase of sexual services;
• introducing a new offence of forced
marriage;
• introducing slavery and trafficking pre‐
vention orders;
• placing a statutory requirement on the
Department of Justice to provide assis‐
tance and support to adult potential vic‐
tims who are referred to the NRM;
• creating a new statutory defence for
victims who have been compelled to
commit certain other offences;
• creating new protections for victims
within the criminal justice system in re‐
spect of avoiding secondary victimisa‐
tion in police interviews and ensuring
access to special measures in court and;
• introducing independent child
guardians for trafficked and separated
children.he majority of provisions in
the Act came into force upon Royal As‐
sent. his strategy also includes a num‐
ber of speciic actions to implement the
remaining provisions.
! raising public awareness including
through:- the Modern slavery media
campaign and helpline;- the UN Git
Box; and- events to mark EU Anti Traf‐
icking Day.Progress reports against the
2013/14 and 2014/15 Human Trafficking
Action Plans for Northern Ireland can be
found at:- http://www.dojni.gov.uk/
northern-ireland-human-trafficking-ac‐
tion-plan-2013-14-progress-report-
http://www.dojni.gov.uk/northern-ire‐
land-human-trafficking-and-slavery-ac‐
tion-plan-2014-15
the shadows and bring perpetrators to
justice.
he strategy has been developed around
four strategic priorities which, together,
provide the focus for our collective work.
hese priorities are:
1 . P u r s u e ( effe c t i ve d e t e c t i on ,
disruption, investigation and prosecu‐
tion of offenders);
2. Protect and support (protection and
support for and improved identiication
of victims);
3. Prevent (prevent and reduce risk of
human trafficking (and re-trafficking)
and exploitation in Northern Ireland);
4. Partnership (Effective, collaborative
and joined up partnership working,
identiication of best practice and lessons
learned).
Age of potential victims, 37 (82%) of the
potential victims recovered in 2014 were
adults and 8 (18%) were minors.he
OCTF's wider strategic proile of poten‐
tial victims indicates an age range which
spans six decades, the youngest at only 3
years old to the oldest at almost 60 years
old.
potential victims indicates an age range which spans six decades
9he Causeway Coast News
here has been so many terms bandied around the media recently, one that is missing: Human.
By : S a z Mc C on n e l l http s : / / i n‐
searchointimacy.wordpress.com/
I have heard so many different terms
bandied about the media recently to
describe the large number of people
looding into Europe from war zones
in the Middle East, migrants, immi‐
g r a n t s , r e f u g e e s , i n v a d e r s ,
cockroaches, scroungers, terrorists in
disguise etc. All these terms are used in
order to illicit either a compassion,
fear or anger, whichever emotion the
media wishes to ignite on that given
day. he term that is rarely used how‐
ever is "human beings", as if somehow
they have lost their right to be human,
conveniently of course meaning they
then lose their human rights. We can
keep invaders trapped in a train for
days without access to basic sanitation,
we could not do that if they were hu‐
man.
Yes there have been images shown in the
media of people refusing aid, apparently
due to the red cross symbol being Chris‐
tian not muslim, did you ever hear such
nonsense?! Open your eyes, use your
brain & do your own research, you will
ind that yes aid was turned down, but
no it was not because of the cross. his
was a group of people who had simply
had enough of being treated like scum.
Men women & children alike who were
trapped in a train under armed guard
and were simply showing their frustra‐
tion in the only way they knew how.
How desperate must you be to refuse wa‐
ter just to get your point across?
Yes when the media shows images of
large numbers refugees most of those
shown are young men, please consider
the culture. Women & children are kept
out of the limelight, if seen they are cer‐
tainly not to be heard. he men speak for
their families, the men collect the aid to
be shared with their families. Again do
your own research, the official statistics
will show you that over half of Syrian
refugees are children & the majority of
those are under 12.
he next issue I wish to address is the
barrage of absolute ilth coming from
people's mouths (or ingers if they are at
their keyboards) because refugees have
been seen with smart phones & of course
this proves that they are not really
refugees but chancers trying to con their
way into europe & scrounge money from
our welfare systems. here is a reason
these refugees come off trains whilst
checking their mobiles (probably the
only way they have to keep in touch with
friends & family let behind, of loved
ones separated on the way). hese people
never claimed to be poor, the fact that
they had enough money to pay for their
passage into Europe shows us that, un‐
like the millions of other "internally dis‐
placed people" who cannot afford to
leave. So ask yourself, what would force
you to leave your nice house, most of
your belongings, your job, your weekly
coffee morning at your favourite coffee
shop with a friend? I am sure most Syri‐
ans would not have led from the beauti‐
ful street in the top picture….but what
have they to stay for now it has been re‐
duced to the one below it?
A British MP has stated "We are al‐
ready providing sanctuary and shelter
to people in over 20 refugee camps in
Turkey and also further in Jordan so
nobody is actually leeing because of
war, everyone is taking an economic
decision…..here are refugee camps
looking ater people throughout Syria
and the Middle East. We can provide
people with safe refuge….So those
people who are in Hungary at the
moment are taking decisions that
they'd rather be in Germany, and the
people in Calais are taking an eco‐
nomic decision that they want to be
in the UK…here are no wars in
Calais and there are no wars in cen‐
tral Budapest."
Yes a lot of these people are choosing to
make their way to the richer countries in
the EU….but wouldn't you? hey are
leeing from the wreckage of their once
safe, happy lives which have now become
a living hell, why should they not seek
somewhere safe & comfortable where
they will be treated with the respect that
any human being deserves instead of
large camps where there is poor sanita‐
tion & they are completely reliant on aid
with no hope of making a better life for
themselves, no hope of a decent educa‐
tion for their children. A refugee camp is
not a permanent residence so you can
neither apply for jobs nor beneits. While
you are in a refugee camp you are a
problem to be dealt with, if you can af‐
ford to travel to europe & claim refugee
status there you have a possibility of be‐
coming a person again, with the chance
to provide a better life for your family.
he type of life you once had in Syria be‐
fore your home was blown up. I will say
however that I completely agree with
David Cameron about resettling refugees
directly from these camps so as to pre‐
vent many more from risking the dan‐
gerous crossing offered by people smug‐
glers into Europe….however I think this
should have been done before the crisis
reached this stage. Whilst it is admirable
to want to prevent any more unnecessary
human tragedy it is impossible to simply
turn a blind eye to those who have al‐
ready took that desperate step with their
families because you ignored their cries
of help for so long. As far as the whole
argument over settling in the irst coun‐
try they land in goes….if i was leeing
with my family, I do not think I would
want to settle in Greece, when their
economy is not so much on the brink of
collapse but is lying in tatters at the bot‐
tom of the cliff,where there have been
scenes of rioting in the streets shown all
over the world media…not exactly a safe
haven now is it?
Now I am not saying they should be al‐
lowed to settle wherever they choose,
obviously there has to be some common
sense applied to the situation as some
countries simply do not have the space
or the structure to cope with so many
new arrivals. All I am asking is that you
start to see these people as just that, peo‐
ple.
People are people no matter what tag you give them
10 he Causeway Coast News
With a new academic year beginning for
many, Northern Ireland Fire & Rescue
Service (NIFRS) is urging students get‐
ting ready for university and college to
be aware of the dangers of ire.
Students across Northern Ireland will be
embarking upon academic studies that
will set them for the future but the most
important lesson learnt during term
time, that of ire safety could ultimately
save their lives. Fireighters will be visit‐
ing university and college campuses over
the coming weeks to provide ire safety
advice, lealets and information to help
students to stay ire safe in their shared
or rented accommodation.Northern Ire‐
land Fire & Rescue Service Group Com‐
mander Kevin O'Neill explains:"
Living away from home for the irst
time can be very exciting for young
people and it is easy to get caught up in
the excitement of student life and for‐
get about ire safety.
As a ire and rescue service it's impor‐
tant that we engage directly with young
people at this time in their lives - not
only will this keep them ire safe, it will
install good ire safety habits and pat‐
terns for the rest of their lives."We
would urge all students to think about
ire safety and take personal responsi‐
bility for looking ater themselves and
their housemates to protect them from
the dangers of ire.
"Fireighters will be visiting university
and college campuses in the coming
weeks to give out ire safety advice and
to remind students about the impor‐
tance of having a working smoke
alarm. Students might not be aware
but they can request a free home ire
safety check through NIFRS."Ensure
that all smoke alarms provided are in
working order and tested once a week.
his will alert you and your house‐
mates to the earliest stage of a ire giv‐
ing you vital extra time to escape. Fol‐
low a good ire safe bedtime routine
and take some time to agree a ire es‐
cape plan to ensure everyone is clear
what to do in the event of an emergen‐
cy.
"Following our regular ire safety up‐
dates and advice on Facebook or Twit‐
ter will help students ensure ire
doesn't become their uninvited guest
during term time. We want students to
enjoy this next chapter in their lives
but to act responsible and to help us in
our role in protecting the community.
"Student Fire Safety Advice:- Test Your
Smoke Alarm - only a working smoke
alarm will waken you during the night.
Make sure that all smoke alarms provid‐
ed are in working order and tested every
week.- Prepare A Fire Escape Plan -
know where the ire exits are and made
sure furniture or stored items do not
block them. If there is no ire exit, plan
an alternative escape route other than by
the main entrance door.- Carry Out A
Night Time Check - by checking a few
things before you go to bed you can re‐
duce the risk. It only takes a minute and
can save your life.o Turn off all electrical
appliances not designed to be let on;o
Put a guard on open ires;o Put out all
cigarettes and empty ashtrays into a non-
combustible container;o Put out all can‐
dles;o Close all internal doors;- Do not
cook when under the inluence of alco‐
hol. You can request a free home ire
safety check by calling 028 9260 0477 or
logging onto www.nifrs.org for further
ire safety advice.
Bright Sparks given Fire Safety Tips
12 he Causeway Coast News
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