Superior Fires Helps to Keep the UK Safe this Gas Safety Week

POOLE, UNITED KINGDOM--(Marketwired - Jun 21, 2013) - Superior Fires, the UK's largest gas fire manufacturer and online retailer based in Christchurch, Dorset is helping to raise awareness in support of Gas Safety Week on 16th - 22nd September 2013.

With over 30 years experience in the gas fire industry, Superior Fires, owned by Focal Point Fires plc has built up an unrivalled reputation as a company that strives for the very best in product quality and customer service. They are the pioneers of 100% efficient flueless gas fire technology. Ingenious fires, that by the nature of the name do not require a chimney or flue to operate. Such is the demand that they have sold in excess of £50 million flueless gas fires to date. As their latest online business www.superiorfires.co.uk grows from strength to strength they have been actively promoting gas fire safety and awareness to their customers, especially when it comes down to installation.

By law, only Gas Safe registered engineers can work on gas fires. With a quarter of a million illegal gas jobs carried out every year by cowboys who do not have the skills or the qualifications to do the job safely, the public are being reminded, as part of Gas Safety Week, to check that the engineer they are using is registered - the only way to do this is to ask for the Gas Safe ID card.

Superior Fires' online store www.superiorfires.co.uk is aimed at selling direct to the end-user. It sells flueless gas fires, stoves, high efficiency gas fires, electric fires and fireplaces, and leads the way in gas fire innovation and safety. Paul Ravnbo-West, director of marketing and design at Superior Fires, explains, "Customer safety has always been top of our agenda. We were the first manufacturer in our industry to be accredited the prestigious Kitemark symbol, by the British Standards Institute (BSI) http://www.kitemark.com/. The Kitemark is the UK's most trusted symbol of quality, safety and reliability."

When their online store www.superiorfires.co.uk was officially launched in October 2011 it became an instant success.

"Our aim was simple, to provide a one-stop shop to offer the customer a complete fireplace solution; sale, installation and aftercare. We knew people trusted our products because of the Kitemark symbol but were concerned about the installation, and in particular choosing the right installer. To help put our customers mind at rest we tapped into our national network of Gas Safe engineers who are familiar with our company and products and are not only able to install our customer's dream gas fire or fireplace, but can look after our customer's long term needs, such as annual service. This has made the purchasing decision much more simple for our customers and ensures our free extended manufacturer's warranty, five years on some models, is not nullified," said Paul, who boasts a wealth of experience in the industry.

Superior Fires supports Gas Safety Week as it encourages customers to get all their gas appliances safety checked at least annually. If left untouched, poorly serviced gas appliances can cause gas leaks, fires, explosions and carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning. In the last year alone, 333 people were injured and four people died as a result of gas related incidents.

Paul continues, "Surprisingly we still learn that engineers visit customers homes and witness unsafe appliances which either haven't been serviced in years or have been worked on by illegal fitters. More worryingly for us, when our Gas Safe engineers go to these homes, residents are often oblivious to the danger that they and their family's are in. This is why we're pledging our support for Gas Safety Week and doing our bit to raise awareness of gas safety issues among the public in the UK so they know what steps they can take to keep themselves safe."

Russell Kramer, chief executive for Gas Safe Register, said: "Every year, far too many people suffer from preventable gas related accidents, such as gas leaks, explosions, fires and carbon monoxide poisoning. Through Gas Safety Week we want to encourage the public to only use Gas Safe registered engineers to fit, fix and service their gas appliances and to raise awareness of the importance of having an annual safety check."

Superior Fires recommends the following checks to keep you and your family gas safe:

• Check your gas appliances every year. Gas appliances should be safety checked once a year and serviced regularly by a Gas Safe registered engineer. Tenants - make sure your landlord arranges this.

• Check your engineer is Gas Safe registered. You can find and check an engineer at www.GasSafeRegister.co.uk or call 0800 408 5500.

• Check your engineer's Gas Safe Register ID card. Make sure they are qualified for the work you need doing. You can find this information on the back of the card.

• Check for warning signs your appliances aren't working correctly, such as lazy yellow or orange flames instead of crisp blue ones, black marks on or around the appliance and too much condensation in the room.

• Check you know the six signs of carbon monoxide poisoning - headaches, dizziness, breathlessness, nausea, collapse and loss of consciousness.

• Check you have an audible carbon monoxide alarm. This will alert you if there is carbon monoxide in your home. These are mandatory for solid fuel stoves.

For more information about our range of high efficiency gas fires, flueless gas fires and stoves, electric fires and fireplaces please visit www.superiorfires.co.uk or call 0800 230 0212. Follow Superior Fires on Twitter @SuperiorFiresUK and find us on Facebook for our latest offers and news.

Notes to editors

• Four people died from gas related incidents in the UK last year and 333 non-fatalities were reported (Source: HSE RIDGAS statistics 2011/12 (provisional))

For media enquiries relating to Gas Safe Register or Gas Safety Week please contact Gas Safe Register press office on 0207 654 2199 or email press@gassaferegister.co.uk.

Gas Safe Register is the government approved registration scheme for gas engineers in UK, Isle of Man and Guernsey. The register of over 120,000 gas engineers aims to protect the UK's 21 million gas consumers from dangerous gas work. It is a legal requirement for any gas engineering business or self employed gas engineer carrying out domestic and commercial gas work to be registered, and comply with the Gas Safety (Installation & Use) Regulations 1998.

Gas Safe Register assesses the competence of engineers on the register by inspecting a sample of the gas work they carry out to make sure they are safe to work on gas. Gas Safe Register is focused on gas safety and campaigns to raise awareness of gas safety risks, including those associated with using illegal gas workers.

Gas Safe Register deals with all aspects of the downstream gas industry covered by the Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations 1998. It covers both piped natural gas and liquefied petroleum gas (LPG).

Gas Safe Register replaced the CORGI gas registration scheme in Great Britain and Isle of Man on 1 April 2009 and in Northern Ireland and Guernsey on 1 April 2010.

www.GasSafeRegister.co.uk

Follow Gas Safe Register on Twitter @GasSafeRegister and find us on Facebook.