By Rosaleen MacBrayne
ROTORUA - Fire Service staff are trying to ensure it will be harder for young fingers to start fires.
In Rotorua and Tauranga yesterday they were educating people on a new law which came into force on Saturday, outlawing the sale of lighters which are not child-resistant.
Child-resistant is defined
as lighters that can withstand up to 10 minutes of tampering by three or four-year-olds.
But, warn fire chiefs Wayne Bedford and Ron Devlin, any lighters must still be kept well out of the reach of children.
"It is not a panacea. Some children are very mechanically minded and may eventually work out how to use them," said Mr Devlin.
And there would still be some of the old cigarette lighters about.
His Tauranga staff will be visiting pre-schools over the next fortnight, talking to parents.
Rotorua fire teams have been taking their educational approach to selling points, checking stock and ensuring that the message about the new legislation has been received. Crews will also be calling on kindergartens and day-care centres.
Mr Bedford, Rotorua's chief fire officer, said the city's fire station would act as a collection and disposal point for all non-child-resistant lighters.
Children playing with lighters and matches was the fourth biggest preventable cause of fires in the Bay of Plenty-Waikato region, he said.
Most of the children were under the age of five, and some were as young as two.
Last year, six children died as a result. There was also considerable injury and much property damage.
Mr Bedford said education must start with parents. They should not leave lighters within easy reach of little fingers or ask children to fetch them for adults.
Retailers who do not abide by the rules or cannot produce a certificate of compliance could face court action from the Commerce Commission and fines up to $100,000.
