Swift response saves Newcastle centenarian’s life

He was fast asleep while smoke bellowed from his kitchen and was unaware of what was occurring in his property. Thankfully however, safety measures installed by Ostara just days before the incident happened meant help wasn’t too far away. 

After receiving a visit from staff here at YHN, who provide Ostara telecare alarms across Newcastle, the gentleman signed up to have a telecare alarm fitted to his property which would ensure the emergency services were alerted should his fire or fall alarms ever be activated.

Due to him suffering from a hearing impairment, he was unable to hear his smoke alarm being sounded and the recommendation by staff to install a system linked to his smoke alarm proved a life saver.

When the system activated his alarms and staff were unable to secure a response from the customer, the call handler immediately rang the fire service along with his son to ensure he was aware of the situation.

Without the alarm, his family believe the situation could have been very different.

One of his two children said: “We’re all extremely grateful for the service and how fast the situation was dealt with. The alarm installed by Your Homes Newcastle’s Ostara service saved my father’s life.

“Not only that, but it has also allowed him to live more safely and independently in his home as he now feels a lot more confident that, should an accident ever occur, help is only ever a phone call away. It has really changed his life for the better.”

Tyne and Wear Fire and Rescue Service attended to the blaze promptly after the alarm was raised to find him struggling for oxygen and immediately called for an ambulance to attend the scene.

Jen Vinton, customer services director at Your Homes Newcastle, said: “Everyone at Your Homes Newcastle was relieved and delighted to see him recover from his ordeal.

“When the accident took place, the fire service attended rapidly and reported back to inform us that he had had a fire in his kitchen. Their response was absolutely magnificent, and we can’t thank the fire service enough for their rapid response which undoubtedly saved his life.

“The experience of the past 24 months or so has really opened our eyes to the things that matter the most to our customers, which is why we have made a real effort to ensure we listen to residents and provide them with everything they need to live safe and fulfilling lives - be it offering services like the Ostara alarms such as those fitted for him or offering additional support services to our customers - and we are delighted to see that these efforts are really impacting upon people’s lives.”

 Find out more about the Ostara alarm service here