Fire service to host safety evening in response to Blantyre fire tragedy

Nov 5 2009 by Sandra Walls, Hamilton Advertiser

STRATHCLYDE Fire and Rescue are hosting a Home Fire Safety information evening following the tragic deaths of Shirley Schiavo (40) and her eight-year-old daughter, Taylor.

Shirley and Taylor died after a fire swept through the family home in Devondale Avenue, Blantyre, in the early hours of Wednesday morning, October 21.

Hundreds of mourners attended a funeral service for the family at St Joseph’s Primary last week, before the pair were buried together at Priestfield Cemetery.

Shirley’s husband, Alessandro Schiavo, survived the blaze at the newly-redecorated home, while her other children Dean (19) and Samantha (23) were in the house at the time of the tragic accident.

Local firefighter and community activist John McQuade will hold a special safety talk in order to warn residents of the dangers of fire in the home.

The talk will be held in the assembly hall at David Livingstone Memorial Primary School, Blantyre, on Monday, November 9.

The evening, which begins at 7pm, will consist of an initial presentation by Mr McQuade followed by a question and answer session.

Speaking to the Advertiser yesterday (Wednesday), Mr McQuade explained the importance of fire safety in the home.

He said: “Everyone in the area was horrified by what happened to Shirley and Taylor. It was a shock for something like that to happen in the local community, and we should all do our best to ensure that something like this doesn’t happen again.

“It is very important that people are aware of the dangers in the home. It is also very important that people have fully working smoke alarms and have escape routes planned.

“If more people are aware of this, then hopefully we can prevent another tragedy like this happening in our town.”

For anyone who is unable to make the presentation at the school next Monday, Strathclyde Fire and Rescue can arrange one-to-one home visits, free of charge.

The service, which is offered to everyone in the community, includes a complete room-by-room fire risk assessment of your home by a qualified Fire Safety Officer, free smoke alarms for people who have none, and a family ‘fire action plan’, and what to do in the event of a fire.

For further details call the fire safety hotline on 0800 0731 999.