Grieving gran backs dead-child billboard

A Northland woman who lost two grandchildren in a house fire is backing a  graphic and hard-hitting fire safety message featuring a firefighter carrying a dead toddler.
The latest  billboard splashed across  the back of a Whangarei-based fire safety vehicle was an initiative sparked in Northland due to the high number of children killed in fires.
The billboard is accompanied by the words: "A dead battery is easier to replace."
The campaign will  now be rolled out across the country.
 The picture, with a firefighter casting his eyes skyward while carrying the limp body of toddler wearing a nappy, is a stark reminder of the  importance of not just having smoke alarms, but working smoke alarms.
Irene Gregory,  whose 4-year-old grandsons, Jerome March and Chanel Pukeroa, died in a Tikipunga home after playing with matches in the garage in 2000, said the Fire Service's latest message was "awesome".
"If that's a way to hit home the message. It will hit home hard," she said.
"It costs $2 to replace batteries in smoke alarms but a lifetime to replace a child and, to me, that's a perfect way to get the message across."
Ms Gregory said the graphic illustration would hopefully put a little guilt on people because  a lot of homes  had smoke alarms but no batteries.
Northland fire region commander Trevor Andrews  made no apology for the message and said he would drive the vehicle around town to promote the message.
"That's actually a firefighter from Wellington in the image. It is a mock scene, but it reflects the reality that my firefighters here in Northland experience.
"I do not want to detract from the tragedy of somebody dying or losing a child in a fire but I am talking about avoidable house fire. This can be avoided."
Mr Andrews said the message was strong, powerful and unpalatable.
The latest billboard comes after a  survey revealed that in the last six weeks in Northland 13 people had been involved in near-misses in house fires  in which smoke alarms were not working.
The number of reported fires in Northland in the year ending July 2009 dropped compared with the same period last year; 2717 fires  compared with 2904 the previous  year.
Mr Andrews said the focus for 2009/10 was to reduce the number of Northlanders dying in their homes, particularly children and the elderly.
"It's horrendous. I can't think of a worst way to die than in a fire. Death by fire is horrific, disgusting and dirty."
He said  the survey revealed the main reason for people not having smoke alarms was laziness and procrastination.
"The battle is to convert people's knowledge and awareness into action. We can't do that, the people of Northland have to do that themselves.
"Nearly 90 per cent of the people surveyed - and I would say that's a good indication for Northland - do have smoke alarms, but my question is are they working smoke alarms?
"I am really quite upset over the recent spate of fires we've had where they were near-misses, where there hasn't been a smoke alarm or there hasn't been a working smoke alarm," Mr Andrews said.